Fulfilling Duties
by muzkbox
Summary: What if Harry wasn't the one who spotted the doe that night in the forest of Dean?**A/U story that follows DH story line** Rated M for a reason!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.**

**Hello! This is my first ever fan fic. I am so excited for you to read & review! =-P**

**Big thanks to my Beta readers, **_**Monkeywand**_** and **_**KatelynnLynn**_** for their time and efforts!**

**26th of December, 1997**

_...nine...ten...eleven... Whoever said mentally counting was an effective way to ease anger was a daft pillock! _

Hermione Granger was sitting at the table in the tent they had set up in the Forest of Dean, sipping tea while fidgeting with the necklace she had on and trying hard not to hex the ginger-haired prat who was making puppy dog eyes at her from the other end of the table.

_Ron, you childish git, stop staring at me!_ Her mind screamed._ You've been back all of six hours, after weeks of you abandoning me and Harry! I am not ready to talk to you without having the uncontrollable urge to knee your dangling bits and stomp on your face!_

Only hours after their run in with Nagini at Godric's Hollow, Hermione and Harry had made it to the Forest of Dean and set up camp. She had just cast the last in the myriad of protection and repelling spells when she'd seen a tall figure walking their way.

After alerting Harry and getting in a defensive stance to fight, recognition slowly made its way through her sleep deprived brain.

It was Ron.

Reluctantly, she'd stepped with Harry out of the protective circle guarding their tent and greeted their estranged friend.

Once they had stepped back inside their protective barrier, she and Harry had gone off on Ron for leaving them.

It felt good.

But after a while, the impossible happened. Harry had started to show patience and reasoning. He'd actually let Ron tell his side of things... and he _listened_. Harry was willing to forgive, forget and move on before she was even ready to listen.

_What bloody dimension had they slipped into?_ For as long as she'd known Ron and Harry, Hermione had always been the one in the middle objectively listening and trying to strike peace treaties.

But this situation was different. They weren't having a flaming row over who ate the last chocolate frog, why the Chudley Cannon seeker couldn't find his own arse with a map, Harry's popularity or any of the other asinine things they quarreled over constantly. No, they were talking of a real life and death situation; more so than any of the others. They were in the middle of a war, running for their lives on a mission and... and Ron abandoned them.

When tough times got really,_ really _tough... he'd just up and left.

_How could Harry forgive him so readily?_

Probably because he was lonely and missed the ginger-headed brute as much as she did. Okay, maybe not as much as she did, but still...

She couldn't just forgive and forget that easily, not this. Oh, she would forgive him eventually; begin speaking to him without the shrillness and anger in her voice in a day or two…

But not now. Not right at this moment.

She kept her eyes resolutely on her tea cup and willed Ron to look away and leave her be.

"Mione?"

_Well, bloody fuck!_

Not answering, Hermione sipped the last bit of her tea and hoped Ron would get the message.

"Hermione?"

_Why?_ She looked skyward before sucking in a calming breath and answering shortly, "What?"

"Mi, can we talk?" Ron shifted slightly on the bench on the far end of the table and looked hopefully at her.

Gripping onto the last bit of calm in her reserves, she answered, "There is _nothing_ to talk about."

Ron shook his head. "No, Hermione, there is plenty to talk about. You haven't spoken two words to me since Harry took your wand and used a silencing spell on you."

Yeah, she would have to pay Harry back for that.

When Ron kept pleading for forgiveness upon his arrival and Harry was through speaking his peace, Hermione couldn't for the life of her reign in her temper. She couldn't stop yelling, pacing and throwing sticks, stones and leaves at the prat; it hadn't helped that she was wearing that blasted horcrux around her neck at the time either. She had been ready to hex Ron's arse with so many boils that he wouldn't be able to sit for a month when Harry had taken her wand and _silencio'd_ her. He'd demanded the locket and said he would take next watch. Glaring at the both of them, Hermione had given Harry the locket and haughtily huffed that she was going to bed.

That had been nearly six hours ago. She had spent four of the six sleeping.

She regarded Ron levelly for a few moments before speaking. "With good reason, I suppose. I'd have screamed myself hoarse."

Ron scooted a little closer to her end of the table. "I wish he wouldn't have."

That was a surprising statement.

"I wish he would have let you say what you wanted to say." He nodded to himself before squaring his shoulders and looking at her, "Well, we're here now and I'm not going to stop you. Go on, Mi, say what needs sayin'. Vent whatever you're feeling so we can get past this-"

"Get _past_ this?" She stood suddenly, her voice as shrill as ever. "This is not as if you've cheated off my Charms test or you insulted me in some way because you are an insensitive git, Ronald! This is about you abandoning us! Me and Harry..." She shook her head, "Me and you. How can I possibly get past that?"

He stood as well but slouched his shoulders and kept his voice quiet and pleading. "Hermione, I said I was sorry. I said I wanted to come back after I'd left-"

"You said a lot of things, Ronald! About balls of light and hearing my voice-"

"It was true! All of it."

"I don't care!" Hermione finally shouted.

There was a sizable silence before Ron spoke again. "I was a jerk-"

"Bloody right you were a jerk! And a few other choice words..." she huffed.

"But I came _back,_" he stated in a pleading tone. "I know I was wrong. I'm willing to take your anger, Mi, but not your silence. Scream if you want to, just... speak to me."

Scourgifing her cup, Hermione vanished it back to her beaded bag. "And what exactly do you want me to say?"

"Anything," he said quickly, "Tell me I'm a right foul git."

"You are," she stated shortly.

He stepped towards her, "Tell me I'm a bull headed, horrid friend." His face twisted with shame. "Tell me I'm a cowardly bastard."

While her anger didn't necessarily fade at his words, it did allow some room for reason. With a heavy sigh, Hermione shook her head. "While I agree with the bull headed, horrid friend bit, you are not a coward." She was surprised to see his blue eyes glitter with unshed tears.

"Yes, I am. I left. I left you both because I was scared and tired." He sat back down on the bench and scrubbed his face with his hands. "Harry was right, before I left. I _did _think that this would be a bit of an adventure. Find a horcrux every other week, destroy them and be back to see the family by the holidays."

Hermione closed her eyes and willed herself not to comment on how ridiculous that sounded.

"Stupid, really." Ron rested his elbows on his knees. "I left my best mate and my gir-..." he paused, as if searching for the right words, "you, Hermione. All because I just wanted to go home."

"Ron, that isn't being a coward, that's natural." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "I think about packing it all in and going back home every day."

"Yeah, but you'd never actually do it. That's what separates 'natural' from 'coward', isn't it." Although posed as a question, it was definitely a statement.

"And the only reason I hadn't acted on that is simply because I have nothing to go back to." She stated bluntly, "Neither does Harry. I couldn't leave him, Ron... we're all we have."

The redhead looked up at her, looking completely broken as a tear fell down his freckled cheek. "So, that's it, then? You a-and H-Harry... You're together?"

Her anger sparked to life again. "_NO_! Honestly, Ron, to think something like that is just..." She paused and took a deep breath, "Ron, I don't know how you got it in your head that I am even the slightest bit attracted to Harry. He is my best friend. I look at him as more of a brother than anything else. Not to mention, Ginny would hex the skin off my face if I even _thought_ of Harry in those terms."

After a pregnant pause, Ron wiped his eyes and asked, "Really?"

"Yes, really!"

A relieved smile took up residence on his face. "Bloody hell, Hermione, you have no clue how glad I am to hear you say that." He stood and stepped to her, "Thinking of you with him was tearing me up inside." He opened his arms to hug her but she quickly raised her hands to his chest to stop him.

"No, Ron!"

Ron froze.

She took a few steps back from him as she crossed her arms over her chest. It was then that her anger bowed down to another emotion; hurt.

For the first time since the redhead returned, Hermione let her hurt show plainly on her features. "No, Ron," she said again with less force. "You may be relieved at my words, but that does not help me." She motioned between them. "It doesn't help this."

His face fell. "Mi, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I'm still angry with you."

Nodding, Ron stepped to her again. "That's fine, Hermione. I'm fine with that as long as we're still friends... as long as there is still a chance for us."

The witch sadly shook her head again. "Ron, I am furious with you, but that will fade and I will eventually forgive you. I hope we can always be close friends." She paused before locking eyes with him and saying with conviction, "but there is no chance for us being anything more than that anymore."

His ginger-brows knitted in confusion. "But-"

"No. You leaving has put a few things into perspective for me. For years we've skirted around this attraction we've had for each other-"

"Had?"

Ignoring his interruption, Hermione powered through, "-every year, hoping that something would change, but it ends with me being let down every time!"

"You think you were the only one being let _down_?" Ron raised his voice, his aggravation beginning to mount, "I was pretty let down when you went off with Krum to the Yule Ball forth year, wasn't I? And what about McLaggen?"

"I wouldn't know. You were too busy acting like a petulant child with the former!" Her hands were at her sides and balled tight. "And you were too busy snogging Lavender at every turn around the time of the latter!" She shook her head again. "No, I'm not rehashing old tiffs with you. All I'm saying is that this 'almost' thing with us seems to be a pattern, a pattern I'm tired of-"

"So let's break it!" He shouted.

The young witch shook her head. "Have you ever sat down and wondered why it never seems to happen for us?" she asked. "I can tell you, I've been doing plenty of thinking about us in these last weeks and..." She sighed. "Maybe there's a reason."

"I'm right here, Hermione!" Ron said as patted his chest, "Asking you to forgive me so that we can be together. Being away from you had me thinking too, made a few things clear to me. One of them was that I was a prat for leaving in the first place and another was realizing just how much I care about you," he explained. "I want to be with you, Hermione. No more 'almost'. The only reason we haven't gotten together, Mi, is me. I've been a childish berk. But I promise that is going to change... right now. I want us to be together."

Hermione looked at the boy who had been the object of her affection for so long as he looked back at her with pleading eyes. She would have been over the moon if he made that same declaration to her a month ago, but now, she stared at him and felt... nothing. "That's just it, Ron. I'm tired of the 'almost' because I no longer want the whole thing anymore. That type of relationship, it isn't for us… I've finally come to terms with that."

Hermione turned to walk to her cot and put on her coat, hat and mittens before walking back to a stunned Ronald Weasley. "Like I said, I will forgive you eventually and I truly hope we can still be friends, but it's not meant for us to be more."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"If it was, don't you think it would have happened already? Don't you think all of this," she motioned between them, "would have been a hell of a lot easier?" After a pause, she spoke again. "I'm going to go relieve Harry." With that, the witch left the tent, not seeing the redhead collapse to the bench again as he held his face in his hands while his shoulders shook with heartbreak.

Hermione stared at the tent as she watched the shadows of Ron and Harry on the canvas. Harry sat next to Ron and after a time, she watched his shadow get up and produce a bottle. Sure that it was fire whiskey the boys were about to indulge in, the witch gave a derisive sniff before casting a cushioning charm on the ground next to the tree Harry had been propped up against when she came to relieve him. After casting a warming charm on herself and the spot of frozen ground she planned on occupying, Hermione pulled her coat tight around her and dropped to the forest floor.

Harry had refused to let her have the locket, claiming she still looked angry. He insisted that he could hold onto it a bit longer or he would hand it over to Ron. Before she could argue, her messy haired friend all but ran back into the tent.

The young witch looked back at the tent to see Ron's shadow take a large swig from the fire whiskey bottle as Harry's shadow patted his back. She did feel bad; he had been one of her best friends and deepest crush for years, after all. What was shocking, though, was how much lighter she felt. As if a giant weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Relief.

A part of her may have felt bad but the majority of her felt relief and that was how she knew she had done the right thing.

Ron had been a major part of her thoughts ever since he'd left. At first she was devastated, scared and heartbroken. That gave way to depression but eventually her brilliant mind kicked into gear and began to really look at their friendship and the potential it had to be a lasting relationship. Over a month on what muggles termed an 'emotional rollercoaster', Hermione came to the conclusion that her friendship with Ron was special in its own right but they really wouldn't have lasted long if they had gotten together. They had absolutely nothing in common when she really thought about it; apart from being Harry's friend. Without common interests, how long could any serious relationship form... or last for that matter?

No matter how long she thought through it, Hermione came up with no optimistic answer. So she would let Ron brood or vent or do whatever he needed to do to move on but she was certain that she wasn't changing her mind. Even though their friendship was on shaky ground, she would rather be a tentative friend than a girlfriend.

All either of them could do now was wait and cool down. Hermione watched her breath come out of her mouth in clouds and smiled. _Figuratively speaking, of course._

Leaning her head back on the trunk of the tree she was sitting against, the witch looked up at the stars that she could see through the thick branches and heaved a deep sigh.

In the hours that followed, Hermione wondered if they were indeed on a fool's errand. They were no closer to destroying the horcrux they had nor had they a clue of where the others were. That line of thought had her mentally going through every supposed clue they had come across since living on the run. After bringing on a slight headache, she turned her thoughts to her family; wondering what they were doing and if they were happy.

Her thoughts focused on these main topics for a few hours before she was brought back to reality at the feel of her bum falling asleep. Standing up, she stretched and looked around. The lantern in the tent was out so she figured that the boys had gone to bed. Checking her watch, she found that she had been on watch for two hours and had a good four hours to go.

After Ron had left, she and Harry had agreed that having eight hour guard shifts between the two of them was too much. Instead, they brought their shifts down to six so it was easier to split up evenly throughout the night.

It was just after midnight and the forest was still. All she heard was the occasional hoot of an owl. It was peaceful.

Deciding to walk the perimeter of their little warded bubble to stretch her legs, Hermione gripped her wand tight and put a silencing charm on her shoes to keep them from making a sound on the frosted, leaf-soiled ground.

"There's a pale moon in the sky," Hermione looked up through the branches to see the moon peek out from behind a cloud, "The kind you make your wishes on, like the light in your eyes...the one I built my dreams upon. It's not there any longer..."

Quietly, Hermione sang absently and off key as she made her way around the perimeter of their barrier. She sang for a few reasons: One was it kept her from thinking herself dizzy. It also kept her from freaking out when her eyes searched the darkness of the forest and it helped her express what she was feeling at any given point in time.

"Something happened somewhere and we both know why..."

Hermione kept singing, never loud enough to disturb the boys.

"I don't care who's wrong or right, I don't really wanna fight no more..." Getting closer to the tent, the young witch began to hum the rest of the song stuck in her head.

She had just about come full circle when she noticed a small light glow from about thirty to thirty-five paces away; beyond the borders of her wards. She paused mid-stride and stood as still as a statue. Logically, she knew no one outside of the barrier could see or hear her, but seeing something so distinctly out of place had her fight or flight senses on high alert.

The witch watched with horrified curiosity as the light grew, coming closer to her position. At first it had no shape; it was simply a silvery white orb. As it came closer, though, Hermione could discern certain features of the odd light. It had four hoofed legs, pointy ears and a narrow face. It took a few seconds for Hermione to realize what she was looking at, but when she did, she gasped for air. _It can't be! Holy crickets! Holy frick! Oh my gods! Shit, shit, shit! _Quickly, she turned and was about to head to the tent to wake the boys and get them ready to fight when a thought froze her in her tracks.

She turned back to the silvery white light that had formed into an animal and was staring right back at her, or so it seemed. Upon further inspection, Hermione surmised that it was a deer; a doe, to be precise.

What gave her pause and had her inspecting the ghostly animal instead of running for Harry and Ron was the simple fact that she had remembered Harry speaking about a glowing orb of light a time or two in the past few months when he had just finished a night watch. He had never spoken about the light becoming an animal but he had seen it and spoken of it enough times for her to know that she was looking at the exact same thing Harry had spoken about.

He had been convinced that the orb of light was some sort of guardian, watching over them. He went so far as to say that he believed it was one or both of his parents at one point during their many hikes along the countryside.

Now, as ghostly as the being was, Hermione Granger was a bit more pragmatic. She knew that Harry's parents were not the cause of this glowing doe. If they were to come back as ghosts in the afterlife, they would come back as themselves. Not to mention, they would have shown themselves as spirits or otherwise years ago.

The witch decided that the animal she was looking at had all the characteristics of a Patronus. Almost 100% positive that was what she was looking at, so many more questions came to mind.

_If it is indeed a Patronus… that means somebody cast it. That means somebody knows we are here. Who could it be? Could it be a Death Eater? An order member? A Snatcher? What do they want? Have they been following us the whole time? If so, why haven't they come forward? Do they mean us harm? If they did, they know where we are, why don't they just harm us, then?_

It didn't take long for her to rule out the Patronus being cast by a Death Eater because she overheard at one Order meeting (actually, eavesdropped outside the door) that Death Eaters couldn't cast Patronuses because they lack good memories. Well, not so much good memories because she was sure that they thought torturing and killing was a good time had by all, but more so a pure, _innocent_ memory. Hermione had also ruled out Snatchers, because they were usually thugs or school drop outs who had never learned how to cast Patronuses. That did not take away from the very real possibility that it was somebody working for Voldemort. It could very well be some tortured witch or wizard who was given the task to watch and report their whereabouts so that their family would not die some sort of horrendous death.

_But if that was the case, why produce a Patronus?_

Doing something so blatant suggested that the caster wanted to be noticed, wanted to get their attention. Possibly, even wanted something from them. That line of thought made more sense.

Hermione's heart leapt as she thought of the possibility of it being an Order member. If that was the case and Harry had seen the light a few times before, maybe they weren't as alone as they thought they were.

With hope filling her and a smile gracing her face, the petite witch took a few steps toward the doe before stopping herself. _But if it was an Order member, why not just make themselves known during the day, face to face? Why stay separated from us?_

She fought internally with her thoughts of all the possibilities and 'what ifs' for many moments before she came to the conclusion that whoever had cast the doe obviously wanted something. Wizards didn't just cast their Patronuses in order for them to stand about in a forest. The Patronus was a protector but also a means of communication. The doe was obviously waiting for something.

Nibbling on her lower lip, Hermione looked back at the tent before resting her eyes on the doe once more. Clutching her wand tight in her hand, the witch made up her mind and left the security of the warded barrier. She had thought that once she emerged from the heavily protected area, the doe would speak its message and vanish. However, once she took a good 10 steps away from the barrier, the doe turned and began to walk away.

Hermione went rigid for a moment, not knowing why the Patronus had just turned on her and was debating on if she should turn around and run back to the tent. But she could not shake that the Patronus was there for a reason and if, by some way, it had been cast by a snatcher or Death Eater, they would have come out of the woodwork and hexed her by now. With a deep breath and her hand firmly around her wand, the witch followed the doe.

Her eyes darted from shadow to shadow as she moved through the Forest of Dean. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and she felt as if she was going to hyperventilate but the young witch pushed on.

She gauged that she walked about a half-mile before she noticed the glowing animal come to a stop and stare at her over the small body of water. It was a pond that was frozen over so Hermione cautiously stepped onto the ice and moved to where the doe was standing.

Once she was less than five paces away, the ghostly animal morphed once again into an orb of light and drifted beneath the surface of the ice.

With her only real light source greatly diminished, the witch waved her wand. "_Lumos_!" The end of her wand lit up as she bent down to her knees on the ice and looked to where the glowing orb was hovering. Wiping off the surface of the ice to get a better look, Hermione's large cinnamon eyes bulged at the site of Godric Gryffindor's sword shining happily at the bottom of the pond, seemingly only about seven or eight feet beneath the surface.

Suddenly, the orb disappeared and she was staring at nothing but blackness under the ice. Hermione looked up and surveyed her surroundings before she gathered that the Patronus' mission was achieved and therefore was no longer needed.

Could it be? Could it really be that the gods had finally smiled down upon them and presented them with a tool that would to be invaluable in their mission to destroy horcruxes?

_How in the bloody hell did the sword of Gryffindor get down there?_ Obviously it was a rhetorical question because whoever had cast the Patronus had put the sword there. That fact made her stomach twist with happiness and hope that they may have an ally looking out for them._ Now how do I get that ruddy sword out?_

Standing, Hermione glanced around the dark forest again but could not see anything abnormal. She eyed the polished piece of ice that she had brushed off and pointed her wand. "_Accio_ sword!"

Nothing.

_Figures_, Hermione thought darkly as she looked around yet again. With a heavy sigh, she decided that the only way she could get the sword was to go down herself and fetch it._ Maybe the Patronus caster isn't on our side after all. This is sheer madness, not to mention torture._

Thinking about how she was going to go about this, the witch decided that a localized fire spell would be the safest way to get through a portion of the ice without cracking or compromising the rest of the surface. She stepped back and pointed her wand at the polished bit of ice again. "_Lacarnem_ _Inflamarre_!"

A large burst of fire left the tip of her wand and settled over the ice, quickly melting a circular hole about three feet in diameter.

Hermione took that moment to strip. Her clothes would quickly rob her body of any heat as soon as they got wet. Ask her how she knew this and she would give you quite a few answers: One being her time spent as a trophy under the Black Lake in her fourth year. Coming out of that water with her full school uniform on and being exposed to the bitter Scottish wind was not a pleasant experience. The second explanation would be that her father is the outdoorsy sort, (hence why she had been camping in the Forest of Dean before) and watched the Discovery Channel. But the main reason she knew stripping to go into ice cold water was better than going in fully clothed was because it was common sense, pure and simple. Oh yeah, she may have read it somewhere in a book too.

Down to her bra and knickers, Hermione was startled when the fire that had been melting the ice went out suddenly with a loud hiss. She turned around and realized that the fire had melted its way through and hissed because it had hit the water.

Still with her wand tightly in her hand, the young witch made her way to the melted opening and thought through what she was about to do. _Okay, I should cast my illumination spell now, take a deep breath and plunge in because there is no way to gradually get used to water this cold. Any attempt would only elongate the process and send me into a fit of shivers before I could even get to the sword. I do think I hate whoever put the blasted thing down there._

"_Lumos_ _Maximus_!" she said with authority at the edge of the melted entrance. Staring down into the black water, Hermione gathered up all of her Gryffindor courage, mentally counted to three and jumped in.

_FUCK!_

That was all the witch could think as the icy water felt like a million daggers tearing through her skin as it enveloped her. Moving quickly before her muscles began to seize up, Hermione noticed that her jump into the water had taken her only three fourths of the way to the sword. Kicking her legs as fast as possible, she stretched out her left hand and kept her eyes on the shimmering rubies on the handle of the sword.

It felt like ages before her stiff fingers gripped the handle when in reality it had been only seconds. But that was enough to be lethal. No one knew that more than Hermione at that particular moment. She tried swimming back up to the surface but her limbs weren't cooperating. Her legs' responses were sluggish and her arms were so stiff they hurt. Still, she worked hard to get to the surface.

Almost out of air, she gasped loudly for breath as she broke the surface, only to submerge again. Her arms ached and her fingers were frozen and locked around her wand and the sword.

She broke the surface again and tried to get to the edge of the entrance she had made in the ice but her legs felt like dead weight and she could barely focus on anything other than to try and keep breathing. Her body was shaking now, almost convulsively so even taking in a full breath was proving to be a difficult chore.

It was when she went under for the third time that Hermione realized that she was going to drown. Not able to move her legs enough to keep treading above the surface, Hermione closed her eyes and hoped that Harry and Ron would find her body, if only to find the sword.

She stopped thrashing and was just letting out the last bit of breath from her lungs when she heard a splash from behind her and a hand grip one of her frozen arms.

_Harry... Ron... they've found me..._

That was her last thought before she lost consciousness.

**A/N- The song Hermione was singing absently was Tina Turner's 'I Don't Wanna Fight'. Also, I used an English to Latin translation program for the spells not readily known from the books, so I apologize if it's not correct.**

**Reviews welcome.**

**Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.**

**Props to my Beta readers, **_**Monkeywand**_** and **_**KatelynnLynn**_** for their guidance!**

**Thank you to all the readers and reviewers for your time and encouraging words! **

**Let me just say that this story is complete but still in the process of being Beta'd. After this chapter, I plan on posting one chapter every week. (-; **

**Oh, and to anyone who is interested, I have done some artwork for this chapter and can be viewed on my deviant art account.** muzkbox(dot)deviantart(dot)com

**Some direct quotes from **_**Deathly Hallows **_**are in this chapter and indicated by the bold, italicized font.**

**0o0o0o0**

Hermione came to, coughing, sputtering and gasping for air. She opened her eyes and saw a face pull away from her that looked very familiar, but her frozen, tired brain wasn't functioning properly to put a name to it.

She blinked lazily as her whole body convulsed with shivers in a vain attempt to get back to its rightful temperature.

Her savior was muttering under his breath as he pulled her into his arms. She noticed that she was no longer wet and neither was he.

She could do little else but cling greedily to his body for the warmth. Nuzzling into her savior's neck, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply to smell the scent of spearmint, fire whiskey, cedar, parchment and something uniquely him. If her teeth weren't chattering so much, she would have smiled at the familiar yet wholly new mixture of scents.

The young witch noticed distantly that she was situated in her savior's arms like one would carry a toddler; her legs around his waist with one of his arms under her bum as she had her arms locked around his neck. Too cold to give his identity proper thought, Hermione let him carry her out of the elements and into a small warm area. She felt herself being set down upon a slightly firm surface and a blanket surround her; cocooning her in a fluffy cloud of warmth. She curled into the fetal position and gripped the fabric as covetously as she had gripped her savior; realizing that the blanket smelt exactly as he did.

Hermione tried to focus on stopping her teeth from chattering because the tenseness of her frozen, shivering body was starting to hurt.

It took some time, but her body finally settled down into a shiver that only racked her body intermittently. Her eyes were no longer closed in concentration but in fatigue. The petite witch was beginning to feel very tired.

With a cool glass of… something being pressed to her lips, she frowned and dipped her head under the blanket.

"Drink. It," a deep, familiar voice commanded; enunciating each word sharply.

Still with her eyes closed, she popped her head out and opened her mouth.

As the liquid whatever was being poured into her mouth, Hermione finally opened her eyes again. This time, when she saw the familiar face of her savior, the name clicked in an instant.

_Snape!_

Shocked and scared out of her wits, Hermione sprayed the liquid being poured in her mouth everywhere as she flailed her arms wildly in an attempt to get to the opposite end of the cot and to her feet. "HOLY MOTHER OF SHIT!" She fell off the other side of the cot and landed in a heap on the floor. She was only there a moment before she jumped to her feet and into a defensive stance. Only then did she realize she did not have possession of her wand, only the sword of Gryffindor.

The tall dark wizard watched the whole scene without moving a muscle and was wearing a face devoid of all emotion.

She took in her surroundings to see that they were in a small tent that only housed the cot she had just fallen out of. Holding the sword of Gryffindor defensively, her voice broke the silence. "W-w-where are we? W-where's my wand? What have you done with Harry and Ron?"

She watched anxiously as the dark wizard pulled her wand out of his robes. "Your wand," he drawled, his deep voice filled the small tent. "As for our location and your idiot friends," Snape crossed his arms over his chest to look incredibly intimidating to the young witch. "We are not far from the pond you decided to take a moonlit dip in..."

Hermione scowled.

"Potter and Weasley, I assume, are sleeping in your tent."

"I need to get back to them."

"Then, by all means, leave." He gestured to the entrance of the small tent.

Still shivering, the young witch stammered slightly, "My wand, g-give it b-back." At his raised eyebrow, she added, "P-please?"

She didn't know why she asked, she was standing six feet from the second most hated wizard in the world; the wizard who killed Albus Dumbledore.

_Damn it!_ She thought. _He's not going to give it back! Dizzy cow, you're going to have to take it! _

Shooting her right hand out quickly, Hermione screamed, "_ACCIO_ WAND!"

Her wand flew out of Snape's hand and into hers.

The look of shock that flickered over Snape's otherwise blank features was lost on the frightened witch.

In a fight or flight mind set, Hermione nonverbally tried to divest Snape of his own wand but he deflected her attempt. She tried to body bind him but was unsuccessful again.

The way he lazily flicked his hand to deflect her spells hit a chord in the determined albeit discombobulated witch and she angrily shouted, "_STUPEFY_!"

Her spell shot out of her wand only to be batted away like an annoying lacewing fly.

"_CONFUNDO_!"

Again her spell flew through the small space only to be slapped away.

"ENOUGH!" Snape spat as he glared at her before turning and in a swirl of billowing robes, left the small tent.

Hermione's mind was struck dumb and going on overload at the same time.

She had just been four feet away from Severus Snape. The soulless, slimy, turncoat who killed the leader of light.

She was alone, defenseless and obviously no match for him in the slightest.

_So why hadn't he killed me?_

In fact, upon forcing her frozen mind to work, Hermione was positive Snape was the one who dove into the pond to pull her from her death.

_Obviously, he must have also been the one to put the bloody sword down there and put my life in a precarious spot to begin with, but…_

The confusing turn of events filled her mind with many questions; none that were going to be answered if he got away.

With that thought in mind, Hermione left the small tent to see Snape striding purposefully away from her. Breaking into a run, she called after him, "Wait! Professor Snape!" She watched his stride slow as she ran after him, though he did not turn around.

As she caught up with him, she panted as she stared at his back. "P-professor?"

"What, Miss Granger? I am no longer your professor; there is no need to use that title." His silky deep voice reached her ears even though he had yet to turn around.

She thought for a moment before answering honestly, "Habit, I-I guess."

After a long pause, he spoke again. "Indeed. What is it that you wanted, Miss Granger?"

_Is he fucking serious?_ She thought to herself._ I've got questions! Many, starting with… _"Why did you just save me from drowning?"

Snape stayed silent.

With her adrenaline rush subsiding, Hermione felt worn out and sore all over. Shifting her weight slightly from one foot to the other, agony seared through her legs. "AAAHHH!" She collapsed to the ground and curled into the fetal position.

She was only slightly aware of a hand on her shoulder as the deep voice of the dark wizard mixed with her cries of pain.

"Granger, what is the matter?"

"M-my legs...cramping!" she said through gritted teeth as tears fell from her eyes.

Suddenly, she was ensconced in his arms again as he picked her up and walked her back to the tent.

He deposited her on the bed. "Your muscles are cramping because they were not completely recovered from your ice water excursion before you decided it was a good idea to run after me, squawking like an indignant hippogriff," he spat in a way that was purely Professor Snape as he pulled a phial of teal liquid out of his robes, uncorked it and held it out to her.

Still balled up in agony as tears fell from her eyes, the witch didn't give a damn about his scolding. As she reached for the proffered phial, he pulled it away and glared down at her.

"Do not _spit_ this one out!" He handed it over.

Not once questioning his motives, she downed the potion and then puckered her lips at the sour after taste. "Ugh! What was that?"

"A strong pain reliever."

Even as he spoke, she felt her muscles relax and the soreness begin to fade from most of her body but her legs were still twitching painfully. Hermione watched as Snape pulled yet another phial out of his robes; filled with a thick purple liquid that looked like it had orange flecks in it.

"This is a muscle relaxant," Snape explained in his best school master drawl, "Though, this potion cannot be imbibed."

Watching his onyx eyes run over her from head to toe, Hermione became acutely aware that she was still only clad in her bra and knickers. She felt her cheeks go pink as she pulled the black, grey and green patchwork blanket around her again.

"Am I correct in assuming that you are not able to apply this yourself?" he drawled as he rolled his eyes.

She wanted to shake her head and tell him that she could power through and do for herself but even trying to maneuver her legs sent stabbing pain through her. She simply nodded as she stayed in her balled up position on the cot; her upper half cocooned in the warm blanket while her bare legs were exposed.

Pinching the bridge of his nose. Snape deposited himself at the foot of the small cot before he poured the potion in his hands and began rubbing it into her skin; starting at her ankle.

Her leg began tingling as a warmth spread through her ankle and the petite witch couldn't stop an appreciative moan from leaving her lips. "Oh...that feels lovely!" She looked around the tiny, sparse tent and asked, "Were you just camping out here, hoping that one of us would respond to your Patronus?"

"No, I have better things to do with my time," he answered shortly. "I conjured this after I pulled you from the pond. A place to shield you from the elements." He sneered, "My humblest apologies if it doesn't quite meet your standards but it was very last minute." Sarcasm was dripping from every word.

She frowned. "No need to get all sarcastic and snarky, I was just asking." It was not at all lost on her how surreal this moment was. She was in mismatched undergarments, lying down on a cot in a tent in the middle of the forest of Dean with Severus Snape; Voldemort's right hand. And he was massaging her leg. _I think I killed off some brain cells in that icy water. This is so crazy!_

It was silent in the small tent for many moments before Snape spoke, "I was given the task of providing you and your miscreant friends with the sword of Gryffindor."

She frowned. "You mean... Vol-"

"DO NOT SAY HIS NAME!" he bellowed.

Hermione shrunk under his glare and suddenly felt uneasy. "I...I-I'm sorry." She tried to pull her leg away but he kept a firm grip on it.

"Never say his name," he said with a quiet tone that scared her as his obsidian eyes bored into her, "It, in and of itself, is cursed. It activates a tracking charm on the foolish witch or wizard that has the gall to speak it. He will find you if you say it."

"O-okay, I won't. I'm sorry."

He went back to his task before speaking again. "The Dark Lord would have this whole forest burned to the ground if he knew Potter was here. No, my other master tasked me with presenting the sword."

Her brow knitted in confusion as she asked, "Dumbledore?"

He gave her a curt nod as his eyes stayed on her calf as his hands massaged the potion into her skin.

She sucked in a breath as her eyes lit with impossible hope. _Was Dumbledore really alive?_

"Do not fool yourself into insane conclusions, Miss Granger," he barked. "Dumbledore is indeed dead, by my wand. I killed him and watched him fall from the Astronomy tower."

Well, that took the wind out of her sails. She watched the confessed killer run his dexterous long fingers over her shin as he massaged the muscle relaxer into her skin. "Then how...?"

He chuckled humorlessly, "It's amusing, really. The old codger found a way for me to follow his every foolish order... even in death." He side glanced her before answering, "Very intricately worded unbreakable vows."

_Unbreakable vows?_ "But unbreakable vows only work if both parties are alive," she said with confusion.

"But they aren't the garden variety vows, are they? Hence the words 'intricately worded' you vexing little swot!" Snape spat as he moved up to her massage her knee. "The bastard found a way to manipulate the wording of the unbreakable vows I had taken to ensure that he had me under his thumb until my vows were accomplished… even if he was dead in a grave!"

"Why did you take vows, professor?" Hermione tentatively flexed the calf of her left leg and wiggled her toes to see if the cramping was abating.

"It was the only way I could get the old coot to believe me." The dark wizard sneered as his hands moved clinically up her left thigh, but it wasn't at her. It seemed to be aimed at whatever memory he was reliving. "I should have told him to sod off... but I was in need of his help..."

_Help? Professor Snape?_ She was confused and a little frightened. Snape was an incredibly powerful wizard, after all. _What couldn't he handle that he had to receive help from Dumbledore? _"Help with what?"

Still seemingly staring off into nothingness as his hands methodically kneaded the witch's thigh, Snape answered, "Help protecting something that was important to me." His voice was quiet. "For his efforts, I had to enslave myself to him and his bloody cause. But he could not deliver and I could not get away."

Hermione found her confusion mounting on many things all at once: What the bloody hell was Snape talking about, why was he talking to _her_, why is it suddenly so warm in this tent and why couldn't she stop shivers of another kind as Snape's hands slipped further up her thigh? _Crazy, crazy... this is fucking crazy! _The witch told herself as she pushed off the warm blanket from her shoulders to cool down. She closed her eyes and forced a steady breath. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, professor."

She heard a sharp intake of breath before Snape pulled his hands from her thigh; not far from brushing against her Superman boy shorts. Apparently he had come back to himself.

"The consummate know-it-all _doesn't_ know something?" he asked in mock shock as his hands moved to her right ankle. "Quickly, owl the Prophet, we may have headline news."

"Oh, shut it!" she said as she boldly nudged his shoulder with her left foot before letting it rest on the cot, just behind the dark wizard. Now, she lay on her back with Snape between her legs; sitting so he was facing the entrance of the tent and holding her right leg in his lap. The sight was both absurdly intimate and innocent at the same time.

The fact that she felt more anxious anticipation instead of embarrassed disgust had Hermione completely thrown. She nibbled her lower lip as her right hand moved to play with her necklace absently.

"The event I am speaking of happened years ago," Snape continued, "when you were still in diapers."

_Why am I just lying here in my bra and knickers letting Snape, _Snape_, massage my legs? The cramps have subsided, why haven't I told him to stop? Why haven't I moved to finish the job myself?_

Those were some of the many questions in the young witch's mind as she watched the dark wizard's hands move up her calf; feeling fluttering in the pit of her stomach that were disconcerting. Forcing her thoughts back on topic, Hermione asked, "What did Dumbledore have you vow?"

There was a long moment of silence, so long that Hermione thought he wasn't going to answer but his velvety voice filled her ears just before she was about to ask another question.

"My absolute obedience to his every command... my unwavering loyalty and dedication to his cause... and my word to protect Potter until the prophecy was fulfilled."

It took a moment for the words to sink in, but when they did, Hermione went ridged; her attention no longer split between what he was saying and what his hands were doing. She was completely focused on his words. _If he vowed all that... that meant..._ "If you vowed all of that… that means..." She voiced her thoughts in stunned disbelief.

Snape turned his eyes from the closed flaps of the entrance of the tent to lock with hers "It means, Miss Granger, that I've never turned. I was simply following orders from Dumbledore himself that night... as I was doing this night." His voice was almost a whisper and absent of any malice, anger or sarcasm.

Hermione's eyes went wide as saucers as a smile spread across her face. _He hadn't turned. He hadn't betrayed the Order! _

Her smile fell. _But he killed Dumbledore, injured George..._

A part of her wanted badly to believe him but she also knew she was speaking to a master spy. That meant simply that he was a damn good liar. As she fidgeted with her necklace, Hermione frowned. "Professor, with all due respect, how in the blazes am I supposed to know if you are speaking the truth?"

His eyebrow rose at her inquiry. "You're not."

The young witch huffed, "Can't you... I don't know, show me? Use legilimency or something?"

"And why would I make such an effort to be believed by a bratty little witch like you?"

His words hurt but her determination and need for absolute truth overrode her usual need to lick her emotional wounds when speaking to Snape. She sat up. "Well, obviously you want to be believed by someone. Why else bring it up?" She pulled her right leg from his lap. "And I really want to believe you right now, but you can understand why I can't put much stalk in your words at the moment."

The dark wizard sneered at her. "Have you forgotten? I just gave you that damned sword and pulled you from your watery grave!"

"After setting said sword at the bottom of a frozen pond and putting me in a situation where the pond could become my grave! Were you _trying_ to kill me or were you simply having a laugh?" she barked back.

"I thought it would be Potter that would take the night watch. It has always been him before," he answered shortly.

"Oh, so you were _trying_ to kill him?" she asked icily.

"Oh, do quit with the melodramatics, will you. It was not my intention to kill anyone, merely put in severe discomfort."

"And you did that, didn't you? I nearly_ died_!" the young witch shouted. "So, sorry if I'm not entirely sold on anything you have to say at the moment."

He frowned and was silent for a long moment before turning to her and saying shortly, "Fine. Take out your wand."

Hermione blinked owlishly for a moment, shocked that Snape had agreed. Ruffling through the patchwork blanket, Hermione found her wand and turned back to the dark wizard to await further instruction.

"Have you ever performed Legilimency?"

She shook her head and noticed that he didn't look at all surprised.

"It is a highly advanced and disciplined branch of magic." He moved so he was facing her on the cot. "Do not be misguided by the ease of this particular session. It will be relatively easy simply because I deem it to be such." He glared down his nose at her. "The first thing you must do is clear your mind. I will focus on a memory that should placate your demnedable know-it-all curiosity and project it. All you have to do is keep a clear, focused mind." He gestured to her wand. "Aim it at my temple and keep eye contact. When you are ready, speak the incantation clearly; _Legilimens_."

Nodding, Hermione licked her lips, took a deep breath and focused her mind on the task as she stared into the dark wizard's inky black depths. After two more calming breaths, she spoke the incantation: "_Legilimens_!"

_Suddenly, the young witch felt herself being pulled into Snape's obsidian orbs. The blackness swallowed her and she was falling and floating and swirling until she saw the headmaster's office manifest out of nowhere. Hermione felt her feet gently touch the ground and saw Professor Dumbledore slumped at his desk, looking tiredly up at an irate dark wizard as he muttered incantations and demonstrated first rate wand waving skills; his full attention on the headmaster's blackened hand as he unceremoniously tipped a goblet of something to the elderly wizard's mouth._

_Hermione moved closer to get a better view of what was happening. She stepped up the stairs and noticed a broken ring on top of a strewn pile of parchments on the headmaster's desk next to the sword of Gryffindor. She realized quickly that the ring was the same ring Harry had told her was a horcrux. _

_She jumped slightly as Snape hissed. _

_**"Why, why did you put on that ring? It carries a curse, surely you realized that. Why even touch it?" **_

_The young witch watched as Snape worked hastily on the headmaster's hand._

_**"I," Dumbledore seemed worn out, "...was a fool, sorely tempted..."**_

_**"Tempted by what?" Snape snapped. When the elderly wizard did not answer, the dark wizard continued angrily, "It is a miracle you managed to return here! That ring carried a curse of extraordinary power. To contain it is all we can hope for; I have trapped the curse in one hand for the time being-"**_

_Hermione looked from Dumbledore's blackened hand to the angry wizard and was shocked by what she saw._

_Worry._

_Anxious, angry worry in Snape's eyes as he glared at the elderly wizard. It may have been missed by many but to Hermione, it seemed to be as plain as day. Severus Snape, the wizard many believed was missing a heart, cared for the headmaster and his wellbeing. It was a shocking revelation._

_**"You have done very well, Severus. How long do you think I have?"**_

_She saw Snape's hesitation before he answered tersely, __**"I cannot tell. Maybe a year. There is no halting such a spell forever. It will spread eventually. It is the sort of curse that strengthens over time."**_

_The way the headmaster smiled at the news threw the young witch._

_**"I am fortunate, extremely fortunate, that I have you, Severus."**_

_**"If you had only summoned me a little earlier, I might have been able to do more, buy you more time!" The dark wizard was obviously furious as he looked down at the broken ring and sword. "Did you thinking that breaking the ring would break the curse?"**_

_That question gave Hermione pause. Did Snape not know what the ring was? _

_Her internal query was quickly buried with more questions as she listened in on the two wizard's conversation with horrified shock. She listened as they spoke of Draco and his future attempts on Dumbledore's life._

Harry was right all along, Draco was tasked to kill Dumbledore...I-I can't believe it!

_She shook her head in dismay as the elderly wizard spoke of Hogwarts soon being under the rule of Vol-the Dark Lord, but what made her jaw go slack was how Dumbledore spoke so simply about Snape having to kill him._

_She saw the shock laced with another emotion as it filled Snape's glittering black eyes. She also watched him push it away as his face lost all emotion for many moments before he finally sneered, __**"Would you like me to do it now?"**_

_Listening to the conversation, she quite agreed with Snape; he may have been older and more seasoned in such horrors but why was his soul any less important. Dumbledore confused Hermione when he told Snape that __**'he alone would know whether his soul would be affected'.**_

_Suddenly, the memory evaporated as another took its place._

_She was still in the Headmaster's office, only Snape was the one occupying the thrown-like chair behind the ornate desk; Dumbledore's portrait now occupying a space on the wall behind it._

_**"Headmaster! They are camping in the Forest of Dean! The mudblood-"**_

_**"Do not use that word!" **__Snape barked at Phineous Nigillus' portrait as Hermione scowled at the painted man._

_**"-the Granger girl, then, mentioned the place as she opened her bag..."**_

_Hermione cursed herself for being so careless. That was how Snape had been finding them. But her self-imposed admonishments were interrupted by Dumbledore's excited exclamation._

_**"Good! Very good! Now, Severus, the sword!" **_

The memory faded and the young witch felt a force mentally easing her out of the dark wizard's mind.

The tent and surroundings became visible again as Hermione blinked once, twice and then a third time; trying to absorb everything she'd seen and heard.

Doing her own bit of research on Legilimency and Occlumency in her fifth year to better understand what Harry was going through and talking about when he spoke of his sessions with the dour professor, Hermione knew that forging memories was impossible. And she'd found out in her sixth year- through Harry -that memories that had been tampered with were extremely obvious.

So what Snape had just shown her had to have been nothing but the truth.

She watched him as he righted himself on the cot so he was once again looking straight at the flaps of the tent entrance.

Now taking in his appearance, Hermione noticed that the snarky wizard looked extremely worn out. He was paler than she had remembered, his eyes were sunken and shadowed and -she couldn't be positive- but he looked as though he had lost weight; weight his already tall lanky frame could not afford to lose.

Before the witch could comprehend what she was doing, she was kneeling on the cot and pulling Snape sideways into her arms for a fierce hug. His right shoulder was digging into her chest but she hardly cared as she buried her face in his neck while giddily exclaiming, "You didn't betray us! I knew it! I knew I was right about you! All along... years... I was right! I knew!" Tears fell down her cheeks as she laughed; too happy and relieved to notice that the dark wizard hadn't participated in her hug, but he wasn't fighting it either.

"And what, pray tell, did you know?" His question had a sarcastic tinge to it.

"That you couldn't be everything everyone claimed!" the witch explained gleefully. "Dumbledore trusted you after all. There was a reason for it, he wasn't a fool!" Hermione pulled away enough to look at the wizard but not enough to break the one sided embrace.

He was sitting, stiff as a board in her embrace, looking resolutely to the tent entrance once more; an emotionless mask firmly on his face.

Hermione didn't care, she figured his stone like demeanor must be some sort of defense mechanism. "What he asked of you...commanded, really...that was horrid and something no one should have to do." the young witch couldn't stop her excited yammering; "Did it affect you? You know, going through with that? I couldn't imagine why it wouldn't, but Dumbledore said-"

"That is none of your concern. Now, I would appreciate it if you would remove yourself from my person," Snape barked, still not looking at her.

The only thing Hermione moved was her left hand up to the dark wizard's soft black hair and pulled a bit of it behind his ear so she could get a better look at him. "But-"

"Must you know everything?" he sniped at her.

"I thought that was the supposition that came with my know-it-all title," she teased lightly.

Snape side-glanced her with a slight frown before speaking. "Again, it is none of your business, but what Albus was speaking of was intent."

Hermione frowned. "What?"

Speaking in his professorial drawl, Snape explained even as he was trying to move away from the young witch. "Whether the killing curse tears apart your soul or not depends largely on intent; not entirely, mind you. Using the killing curse too freely, regardless of intent will certainly break apart your soul as well. But, if one uses a killing curse without malice...to show...mercy, one's internal magic recognizes such an action and leaves one's soul intact."

Understanding dawning, Hermione nodded. She had always wondered on that. How was it that some people, like Aurors; who had to resort to using the killing curse, seemed unaffected? But criminals, like Bellatrix for example were absolutely barmy.

She hugged him again. "Oh, I can't wait to tell Harry and Ron!"

"NO!" Snape thundered, causing Hermione to jump and pull back. She felt her stomach lurch as Snape turned his black eyes on her once more; his face twisted in a sneer that had her thinking she was back in his classroom. "No one can know of this! Certainly not Potter and Weasley!" He seethed as he gripped her wrists tightly in his hands to keep her from pulling away any further. "Do you understand?"

Her brows knitted as she struggled to, indeed, understand.

He yanked her wrist hard so it brought her face even closer to his as he shouted, "DO YOU?"

"NO!" She shouted back. "No, I don't! Sir, everyone thinks you're a loyal Death Eater. If they knew the truth... About what Professor Dumbledore asked of y-"

"Then I would be dead!" he growled angrily. "If word got out... even a whisper, the Dark Lord would tear me limb from limb and serve me to his fucking snake!" Snape hissed harshly. "And whilst my death is a foregone conclusion, I at least have to make sure Potter is in place to complete the prophecy!"

She searched his eyes. "But-"

"But nothing! You will tell no one anything of what I've just shown or told you!"

Wincing at the grip he had on her wrists, Hermione conceded. "Alright!" She pulled away from his grasp and rubbed her wrists, "I won't tell a soul. I just don't understand why you told me, then."

Something akin to confusion passed over the wizard's severe features before disappearing behind that emotionless mask he wore. After a pregnant pause, he said, "I too am not sure why I told you anything. I shouldn't have. You aren't even supposed to have known I was here. I should obliviate you."

He said those words threateningly but something made Hermione doubt his sincerity. "No. Maybe, subconsciously, you wanted at least one person to know you aren't a heartless bastard and monster like Vol-_Him_," she offered up as a possible explanation.

He sniffed derisively. "Please, I'm still very much a heartless bastard. And many would argue you on me being nothing but a monster."

"Well, you're not!" Hermione admonished as she smacked his shoulder before wrapping her arms around him again. "You are a snarky, sarcastic bastard who finds enjoyment in insulting others." She pulled away again but didn't break the embrace; which was, once again, purely one sided, "But you are not a monster." Moving her right hand from his shoulder to his chest, the witch continued softly, "and I can feel your heart beating strong just under my hand." Timidly smiling, Hermione finished, "And I'm glad you showed me the truth, regardless of the reason or the fact that I can't share my newfound knowledge."

"You can't, Granger...with anyone." the dark wizard said forcefully. "I demand a wand oath from you or I _will_ obliviate you."

The young witch simply raised her wand. "I, Hermione Jean Granger, solemnly swear on my wand that I will not speak of anything Severus Snape has confided in me until given permission by him."

A white glow came from her wand and Hermione could feel the magic of her oath wash over her.

"Is that satisfactory?" she asked as she looked down at the wizard who was staring at her raised wand. Hermione lowered it back down and smiled. "Were you hoping that you'd get to obliviate me?"

"Quite," was his short answer as his eyes followed her wand down to where she rested it on her bare thigh before his obsidian orbs ran up her thigh, bare stomach, bra clad chest and finally up to lock with her cinnamon depths.

With more bold Gryffindor courage than she thought she had possession of, Hermione leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on the dark wizard's thin lips.

It was a kiss that lasted only a second and was meant to convey her happiness and gratitude towards his confidence, but as soon as their lips touched, something sparked within Hermione. A spark that started at her lips and trickled throughout her body. A spark that woke something up within the witch she had not even known had been sleeping.

Pulling away, she took at the truly shocked expression on Snape's face. She nibbled on her lower lip, wondering if she should gracefully get up, thank him for saving her while getting dressed _or_ if she should be superbly stupid and go in for another kiss while the dark wizard seemed frozen with shock.

_Is there even a way to be graceful while dressing in the face of awkward silence?_

As if answering herself, Hermione leaned in again and stole another kiss.

It was, like the last; very one sided. But when she was just about to pull away, the absolutely impossible happened.

Severus Snape began responding; kissing her back.

**0o0o0o0**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.**

**Yeah, so I said I'd update in a week. I guess I lied. ;-) Hope you like this chapter.**

**Mad respect for my Beta's, **_**Monkeywand**_** and **_**KatelynnLynn**_** for their time!**

**Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed! ;-P**

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It was so slight, Hermione had almost missed it; the way his lips firmed under hers. When it dawned on her that her actions were being reciprocated, she was equal parts stunned, scared and ecstatic.

_This is the greasy git who had made me and my friend's school days extremely miserable at times. This is the wizard who killed Dumbledore and ran back into the arms of his snake faced master... This is crazy!_

And it was. Her lips were attached to the lips of a severely unlikable, brooding wizard who only seemed to show interest in potions, dark arts and making people cry... and, at the moment, she couldn't imagine kissing anyone else.

_But he killed Dumbledore on his own orders; he's done all of it because of vows… to the Light. He is brave and loyal... determined and unwavering... and has the softest lips..._

Hermione's hands came up to frame Snape's angular face as she pushed her lips more firmly onto his and her stomach fluttered.

Lost in her actions, the petite witch slid her tongue past her lips and gently ran it across the dark wizard's lower one; asking to take this kiss one step further. To her surprise and disappointment, her actions didn't receive the intended results.

As if finally realizing what they were doing, Snape pushed her away roughly and stood. "What in the bloody hell! Are you demented, Granger?"

Looking up at him, Hermione gathered that the question was rhetorical. She answered anyway. "No, just happy... and so thankful-"

He sneered. "So this is a normal occurrence; you attaching yourself like a devil's snare to every wizard that brings out those silly emotions in you."

Snape stated his words in a disgusted tone but somehow, Hermione could hear the question laced within. "No... Well, okay, maybe the hugging. I _am_ a bit of a hugger, but I don't go about kissing every wizard just because I'm happ-"

"Then it is simply that your mental faculties are lacking… No doubt due to that plunge into freezing water." He added, in what seemed like an afterthought, "not that you had much to begin with."

That was when the witch figured out what was happening in the small tent. She had knocked Snape off kilter with this odd moment of bonding; confused him and he was working to revert back to their old dynamic. That made Hermione realize just how much she wanted to continue down this unknown path of anxious stomach fluttering and electric filled kisses.

_This is wrong, isn't it? I should be feeling these things for Ron. He's been my friend and my biggest crush for years. He came back to tell me he wanted to be with me._ Hermione thought to herself. _Snape is just an impractical and totally screwy choice. Why then is it him that I'm feeling so drawn to?_ She paused for a moment before acknowledging that even now, she didn't even feel guilt towards this, only puzzlement.

Her earlier issues with her legs forgotten, Hermione moved to stand only to falter. She didn't fall far, though, as two strong arms shot out to catch her.

"What do you think you're _doing_? That potion hasn't had the time to work properly. Sit back down, Granger!"

Looking up at him, Hermione was stunned at just how tall he was compared to her. She barely came up to his shoulders; something she really hadn't noticed until then. Maybe because she was figuring out how to connect them in another kiss without launching herself at him like a crazed Lavender Brown replica.

Solution found, the witch executed another bold move as she gripped the knot in his cravat and pulled him down to her lips. He pulled away roughly, causing her to drop back to the cot but she felt a moment of him reciprocating yet again.

"What is wrong with you, Granger?" Snape spat. "Why are you doing this?"

"I don't know. Why are you resisting?" Hermione countered.

He stared at her as if she'd grown a second head. "Because you don't know what you're doing! You've just admitted as much." Shockingly, he didn't say anything about him being revolted by her advances or anything she had expected from the dour wizard.

"I admitted that I don't know _why_ I did what I did, not_ what_."

"And that's any better?" he questioned with a sneer.

"Yes," she stated simply, "because I'm fully aware that I _want_ to and _am_ going to kiss you. It's just the 'why' that's a bit fuzzy." Hermione tilted her head to the side before stating, "You want to kiss me too."

"I want no such thing!" the dark wizard barked even as his black eyes moved momentarily to her lips.

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't!"

"_Yes,_ you do."

"_No_!"

"Ye-"

"NO, Granger! Enough!" Snape ordered angrily before continuing, "I must leave. Stay in this tent for another hour to give that muscle relaxant time to work. Then, when you feel you can, run back to your own tent; it is due east."

Watching the dark wizard start towards the entrance, Hermione, for some reason, wasn't ready to see him leave. So, she took a gamble. "I'll tell Harry and Ron you said 'hi' then, yeah?"

A swirl of billowing black robes whipped around and Snape's face was inches away from hers as he glared menacingly down at her. "And violate a wand oath?" His wand tip came up to touch her temple, "Are you really that stupid?"

Swallowing hard, Hermione gathered the rest of her courage and nodded. "Possibly," With that, she leaned forward and stole his lips in another kiss.

Pulling away once again, Snape stared down at her with bewilderment evident in his expression. "No 'possibly' about it. You've truly gone around the twist... Why...?" His onyx eyes searched her face for some sort of answer.

Hermione shrugged as she tried to explain something she couldn't quite grasp herself. "Weren't we already over this? I don't know. I'm happy you're here, on our side... helping us. I'm happy I was right about you all along. I'm happy you brought the sword and that you saved me from drowning. I'm thankful of the potions you gave me," she said. "All of that, but mostly, when I kiss you, it just feels... right."

Continuing to stare down at her, it was some time before he spoke again. "Have you forgotten who I _am_?"

"Professor Severus Snape. Former Head of Slytherin House, Headmaster of Hogwarts and loyal Order spy who is feigning his allegiance to the dark," Hermione answered matter-of-factly. Truly a sight since she was sitting Indian style on the cot, still only clad in her undergarments and completely uncaring of her state of undress; a green cotton bra and red, blue and yellow Superman boy shorts.

"I'm afraid there is no feigning such a thing. I can't pretend to torture and kill others, can I?" Snape spat.

"But you don't enjoy doing it, do you?" His silence was answer enough for the petite witch. "See, you _are_ loyal to the light. And it is that fact that gives me more hope than I've had in months." She smiled up at him. "It makes me want to get up and do a little jig before pulling you into another kiss."

Snape moved to kneel next to the cot so they were eye level. He looked down to the ground; his hair hiding his face as he spoke. "Granger, I've killed many and tortured countless… I am no better than the Death Eaters I am forced to associate with. I am not a wizard with which you should feel '_right'_ being intimate with on any level."

There was another stretch of silence before Hermione challenged, "Look me in the eyes right now and tell me you don't want me to kiss you again."

He looked up at her with that blank face as he drawled, "I do not-"

Spotting his tell, Hermione stole his lips once more before he could finish lying through his teeth. She took advantage of his gasp of surprise to infiltrate his mouth with her curious tongue. It skimmed over the roof of his mouth before dueling with its counterpart; a duel that elicited a moan from Hermione as his tongue chased hers back to its domain and thoroughly explored.

And that was how they stayed -locked in a fierce battling kiss- until neither had a choice but to part for air.

Hermione moved to lock them in another kiss before Snape stopped her.

He was frowning but it wasn't in anger or confusion. If Hermione had to name it, Snape almost looked... disappointed.

"We cannot do this."

"Why not?" the witch asked.

"Because it is not proper."

"Screw proper."

"Why are you so insistent on this?" He shook his head, "Our age difference is indecent... the fact that I was your teacher-"

"I'm not asking for some great commitment, here," Hermione interrupted. "I am simply acknowledging that, despite _who_ we are and _where_ we are, this feels right."

He growled angrily. "And will you still feel the same if this leads to something else?" he asked. "Will you still feel this insanity is right after you've been _fucked_ by the dreaded bat of the dungeons?"

She knew he was being deliberately crass in an attempt to frighten her away.

"Will you still feel happy in the cold light of day once I've left and you have to face your dim-witted friends?"

"I don't know, and I shall thank you to quit calling my friends names!"

The wizard rolled his eyes.

"In the midst of so much wrong with worldly events lately and all the uncertainty, I don't really want to fight anything that comes along and feels..._this_ right." She must have said something correctly because she could almost see the dark wizard relent. Framing his face, Hermione pulled him into another kiss and she was met with no resistance.

His lips made contact with hers and his tongue slipped into her mouth. Eagerly she reciprocated, happily dueling with his tongue as she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, shuttering as she felt his fingers ghost over the exposed skin of her waist.

She worked to identify everything she tasted on him. She could taste fire whiskey to be sure, a hint of beef stew and... Chocolate. It was an intoxicating taste.

Snape pulled away roughly when breathing became paramount. "Granger," he panted as he spoke in a stern tone, "we should stop. This can't be anything. You have your mission and I have my own duties to attend to..."

She moved her thumb over his lips to get him to stop talking. "I know. I am not asking for anything more than right here and now. We are in the midst of a war. Both of us are dealing with so much. Maybe that is why we shouldn't stop." Hermione smiled slightly. "What's wrong with finding comfort in one another, even if only for a few hours?"

"It's laughable that anyone can find comfort in me," Snape stated with a bitter tinge.

"Well, go ahead and laugh to your heart's content because I've found comfort in you." Nibbling her lower lip, the witch looked down at her clasped hands in her lap. Being a Gryffindor didn't grant her _unlimited_ reserves of courage and she felt she used a fair bit on getting them this far.

The dark wizard put his hand to Hermione's chin and guided her to look at him. When they were eye to eye, he rested his forehead against hers and said, "Foolish little Gryffindor." Slowly, he kissed her lips.

The witch felt Snape's tongue probe her lips tenderly and couldn't resist him, she granted him entrance. As his tongue slid deep into her mouth, she felt weightless.

_Holy Hades, this is actually happening!_

The kiss shared between them was tentative at first, but with Snape gently caressing her cheeks, neck and shoulders, Hermione relaxed and let her thoughts fade and allowed what she was feeling guide her.

She held Snape closer and kissed him deeply; loving every sensation she was experiencing.

Snape broke their kiss only to dust kisses over her cheek, jaw and neck before his mouth moved to her left ear and nipped her earlobe. "Are you sure about this, Granger?"

His deep, velvety voice sent tendrils of arousal straight to the pit of her stomach. All she could do was whisper, "Yes. Though, I think you should call me Hermione... Severus." She'd thought his name a million times but actually saying it seemed so bizarre.

It was like a dam broke inside the dark wizard because after those words, his hands gripped her waist and hauled her up further on the small cot; pushing at her thighs to spread them wide as he knelt in between them.

He stole her lips in a kiss that was more forceful than the others as his hands slipped up her thighs; out toward her hips and up her waist to tickle her sides before his right hand moved to caress her bra clad breast. He watched her face intently as he exposed her left breast to the elements.

Hermione sucked in a startled breath as his fingers pinched and twisted her nipple into a tight, sensitized bud. Her eyes were on his glittering black orbs before they broke away to look at what he was doing to her bosom.

"Oh... Merlin!" Hermione moaned as Snape dipped down to take her manipulated nipple into his mouth.

Snape's right hand slid behind her and nimbly unhooked her bra before pulling it from her body; never once stopping his oral exploration of the witch's left breast. After a moment, he unlatched from her pert breast with an audible pop. Looking up at the witch, he connected them in another heated kiss before trailing kisses down to her right breast.

"Shit!" She said, her voice quivering with arousal as his tongue laved her nipple. She was slightly overwhelmed with how he was turning her into nothing more than a quaking puddle of need. None of her snog sessions with Victor or her handful with Ron ever felt _this_ good. Granted, she never let them get this far because she simply didn't feel the need to. Mostly, with them, she just felt awkward and a bit pushed.

But with Snape, she didn't want him to stop and didn't care how far he pushed because she was willing; oh so very willing. She just didn't know if she could handle anymore of the sensory overload. "Ooo!" Her hands tunneled into his raven locks as his lips latched on and started suckling. "Severus..." she moaned his name and was astounded by the way he moaned while still connected to her breast.

Breaking away from the witch, Snape stood from the cot and began divesting himself of his clothing. Taking off his traveling cloak and frock coat before undoing his cravat and began to unbutton his white dress shirt; all the while, never taking his eyes off of the witch lying on the cot.

Hermione watched with rapt attention as the dark wizard slowly unbuttoned his shirt and exposed his pale, scarred and impressively toned torso. Scars crisscrossed and zigzagged over his body to make him look like some sort of sadistic sketch pad. His muscles were defined but not bulging and he had absolutely no hair on his chest. To Hermione, he looked like a sculpture carved from ivory.

The wizard sneered, his dress shirt fully unbuttoned. "Is it hitting you yet? Are you realizing that I truly am a monster? Has it dawned on you yet of the evil I've done, the evil I will do?"

Sitting up, the young witch shook her head. "You are _not_ a monster."

He opened his shirt to display more of his torso. "Am I not? Look at me, Granger!"

Her eyes traveled over the slightly discolored scars that marred his body; some raised and bulbous, others sunken and puckered, all of them were various shades of discoloration. The witch's eyes locked with his again. "It's Hermione... and I see no monster. Do you want to know what I do see?"

Snape dipped his head so his shoulder length hair curtained around his face.

Hermione stared at him, standing at the foot of the cot. "Right now, all I see in front of me is a brave man who has been forced to do many things he never wanted to do and has been used in ways no human being should ever be subjected to."

Still, without looking at her, Snape let his shirt drop off his shoulders, to the ground. "Are you certain about that?" Snape asked in a bit of a bark as he held out his left arm for her to see the dark mark, black as ever on his porcelain skin.

_Is he...? _Hermione asked herself and then answered soon after._ He is. Severus Snape, this fierce, intimidating man is actually nervous. _The young witch bit the insides of her cheeks to stop from smiling. _Okay, maybe not nervous, but definitely a bit self-conscious_. She didn't know why, but knowing Snape was a little unsure of himself with her made butterflies flutter wildly in her stomach. "Severus," she called to get his attention and once he looked up at her, through his hair, she smiled. "I'm positive."

Bare from the waist up, Snape dropped to his knees, grabbed her ankles and pulled her roughly down the cot so that her center was pressed against the bulge in his pants. "You are foolish, did you know that?"

Nodding, the witch sat up and pulled Snape into another fiery kiss, moaning as their naked chests made contact, "Know-it-all... it comes with the title."

Catching her lower lip with his teeth, Snape nipped and then murmured, "Lie down."

She did as she was told. Her breath hitched as the dark wizard's fingers hooked around her Superman knickers and tugged them down over her thighs, past her calves to land on the floor. Her eyes went wide as Snape parted her thighs. _This is really happening!_ Hermione's breathing sped up as she felt his lips on her inner thigh. She arched her back and moaned his name when his lips moved to give the most intimate part of her body a kiss.

Snape grasped the witch's outer thighs and kissed her womanhood, sliding his tongue inside to fully taste her juices.

Hermione squirmed and quaked at every movement of Snape's tongue inside her. "Aww…" she moaned.

_This is crazy, this is crazy, this is crazy…this is Severus sodding Snape!'_

She spread her legs wider to give him better access.

The wizard sucked and toyed with Hermione's swollen clitoris relentlessly; lapping up her juices. His finger slipped into her slick sleeve as his tongue danced over her hypersensitive bundle of nerves. He slipped another long finger inside her and the witch was sure he could feel how inexperienced and tight she was.

Hermione arched her back and gripped Snape's raven locks. "Severus..." she moaned and felt him press his face firmer against her as he emitted a growl and sucked her clit between his teeth and nibbled lightly.

She rolled her hips up to him and nearly hyperventilated at the sensations she was all too happy to suffer through.

His long fingers were deep inside her and she felt close to the edge. Hermione moaned his name again and then...

He stopped.

He went stock still like he saw the reflection of a basilisk or something.

Looking down at him, Hermione felt tendrils of panic overthrow whatever pleasure she was on the cusp of. She was new to all of this and worried that she had done something wrong?

She moaned at the loss as Snape pulled his fingers out and sat up to glare at her.

Tendrils of panic exploded into full on fear. She must have done something wrong. "Severus?"

"You're a virgin," he said quietly, much like the tone he used when he told her never to use the Dark Lord's name.

"H-how did you know?" was all she could say.

"I can feel your hymen… it is intact," he growled. "You do not deny it?"

She sat up fully and pulled her curly mess of hair out of her face. "I've never denied it. How can I when you've felt the proof?"

"You never informed me!" Snape snarled.

She frowned. "I didn't think I had to."

"You've seriously never been touched? I thought Weasley was a given...and _Potter_-" he spat before Hermione interrupted.

"Why does everyone assume Harry and I are some sort of item?"

"Why else would a witch like you be constantly around wizards like..._them_?" Snape's lips curled in disgust with his last spoken word.

"A witch like me?" she parroted incredulously. "Because they're my_ friends_!" Hermione shook her head, unwilling to start an argument. "I mean, is it that big a deal? Should I have told you?"

He gave her a look that was a cross between a sneer and a mystified frown. "I could have hurt you."

"Oh, well… now you know so you won't hurt me."

"You're bloody right, we're done!" he spat as he began reaching for his shirt that was on the ground behind him.

"Why?" She caught his arm to stop him.

"I will not be the one to take your innocence, Gr-Hermione," he hissed.

"My innocence has been taken long ago with the threat of death and war constantly looming overhead," she said simply. "My hymen being intact means very little."

He chuckled humorlessly. "I highly doubt those are your true feelings since you are still a virgin."

"It hasn't really ever been a priority for me. And of the few times I had the chance, it just seemed too forced, fumbled and awkward." She shrugged. "But this, here, now, seems to feel..."

"Right," He shook his head. "You put a lot of stock in this feeling of 'rightness'. Are you not concerned in the slightest that it , and you, may be wrong?"

Hermione thought for a moment before shaking her head. "No." She pulled him back to her and kissed him once more.

"...why?" his ink black eyes searched her as they broke apart.

"Now who's the insufferable know-it-all?" she teased before answering seriously. "I honestly don't know. I just feel it." Nibbling her lower lip, Hermione ventured to ask, "Don't you… at all?"

The dark wizard didn't answer; he just nudged her back so she was laying down as he licked and nipped down her flat stomach until he reached her nether lips and once more began feasting on her.

Struggling to find rhythm in her breathing, Hermione closed her eyes and became excruciatingly aware of the bolts of lightning the wizard was setting off inside of her.

Snape sucked and nibbled, urging her over the edge.

Crying loudly as she pumped her hips towards him, Hermione's sexual cries became more distinct, as was what she was crying. She was howling out a name, repeatedly and with gusto. "Severus... Severus... Sev... _RUS_!" Hermione came hard.

Snape seemed to welcome the juices that flowed from her core as he set to work sucking and licking up every drop.

Hermione panted while she relaxed back on the cot as she watched Snape stand and begin to unbutton his trousers while toeing off his boots and pulling off his socks.

"Move up," he ordered as he nodded toward the top of the cot.

Sliding back up the narrow cot, Hermione used the patchwork blanket as a pillow and watched as Snape pushed his trousers and boxers down his hips to pool at his feet. Staring at his manhood as it bobbed anxiously in the air, Hermione reminded herself with surreal awe that she was staring at a very naked Snape, the second most hated and feared wizard in the world. And he was standing in front of her with a very prominent, eager and weeping erection.

She may have been a virgin but she had seen penises; albeit in medical tomes or by accidentally walking in on Ron and Harry a time or two while they were changing. Not to mention the handful of times she had watched porn on her computer at home -for educational purposes- of course. With her research, she understood that the dark wizard had a larger than average sexual organ.

As he knelt on the cot once more, she spread her legs further for him as she stared, fascinated at the way the head of his cock was an angry reddish purple and was leaking pre-cum. Her fascination getting the better of her, Hermione reached out and swiped up a droplet from his tip with her finger and tasted it. It was slightly salty but not unlike what she had expected it to taste like. It was slightly bitter but not overly so. All in all, she quite liked the way he tasted.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Snape glared down at her.

"I was just curious," she answered innocently as her eyes dropped back down to his erection. "Since you just did _that_ for me… shouldn't I reciprocate?"

"You mean...you are actually willing to do that?" Snape looked as if he was trying to mask his perplexity again.

"It only seems fair."

There was a long pause before he shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Lie down."

She could feel her body leaking with lust as he climbed up and settled on top of her. The witch felt Snape's erection between her thighs, throbbing to slide inside. Smiling, her fingers tunneled through his hair and decided to make a little confession. "I like your hair; it's so soft...not at all full of grease as I'd always thought."

Frowning, Snape seemed to ignore her. "Granger," he murmured as he positioned himself at her entrance, "are you sure?"

When she nodded in the affirmative, Snape buried his face in her neck and slowly entered, letting out a deep moan as he did so.

Arching her back as the wizard invaded her, Hermione cried out in a mixture of pleasure and pain; gripping the blanket while scratching Snape's back as he tore through her hymen and paused to give her time to adjust.

She ensnared him with her arms and legs, crying as she felt his dick spreading her wide. She felt lips just under her ear and a low voice wheeze.

"Are you alright? Did you need me to stop?"

"No…" Pain subsiding as pleasure began to grip her slowly, the witch pulled him closer. "No…don't stop."

He stole her lips in a lusty kiss as they fell into a rhythmic rocking motion. Severus massaged Hermione into ecstasy.

The young witch stared up at the wizard who was moving above her and let herself think of the words she knew better not to say out loud. _Severus Snape is my lover...He is my first...and he feels so good! _Okay, so maybe her last thought might not stay silent but she knew she'd probably be hexed if she spoke of the other two. Best not bring attention back to the fact that she was a virgin until just recently.

Feeling her lover finally bottoming out inside as his balls hit against her arse, an uncontainable smile spread across Hermione's face as her body felt full and she began to tense; slowly climbing to her peak. Shaking uncontrollably, she closed her eyes tight and surrendered herself to the feeling.

Snape nudged her cheek with his nose. "Come for me, Hermione. Let me feel you," he panted as he rested his forehead against hers.

The witch opened her eyes and gazed into the wizard's glittering black orbs. Inhaling sharply, she curled under her him and cried out in pure ecstasy as she climaxed.

He swallowed her cries as he kissed her deeply, continuing to knead her body.

Both were breathing heavily as the wizard pulled away from the witch's sweaty body; holding his own in a sort of push up position as he continued sliding in and out of her.

She fixed her eyes on Snape as he watched her almost ravenously while she continued to whimper in pleasure. Groaning at his change of angle, a guttural moan flowed from her mouth as she squirmed under him, covering her face with her hands.

This moment was other worldly; she was almost afraid that it was all just a dream.

Slowing his motion, Snape whispered, "Has it all come crashing down on you now; to know that _I_ am the one inside of you, Granger?"

"No... I know it's you, Severus..." Hermione panted, "I just can't believe it... it feels so good... too good... like a dream..." She felt him kissing her hands.

"You… Are... Amazing…!" His deep broken drawl made her stomach flutter. "Let me see you," he puffed airily as he kissed her knuckles.

Moving her hands to the back of her lover's neck, she pulled him close and kissed him. "Faster..."

He nipped her lower lip before resuming a quicker pace.

Hermione's muscles tightened and she could feel him twitching and surging inside of her. "OHHHH!" She tightened her hold on his neck with her right hand as her left hand slid down and rested on his arse. She nipped his earlobe and whispered, "Gods, you feel so… unbelievable."

Those words were more than enough to catapult him off the edge. Snape stiffened as he hid his face in the witch's hair as he shouted out and erupted inside of her. "FUCK!"

Feeling the wizard's explosion sent Hermione over the edge once more. Her eyes slightly rolled as her arms and legs hooked Snape in a vice grip; reveling in the feeling of him overflowing her.

The witch was only slightly aware of Snape attempting to pull away from her but was having none of it as she tightened her grip. "No, stay here." The young witch was too happy to be surprised when he relented and dropped his body on top of her; his flaccid cock still buried within her.

Closing her eyes, Hermione allowed herself to bask in the afterglow of their coupling.

**0o0o0o0**

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.**

**Gotta give my betas **_**Monkeywand**_** and **_**KatelynnLynn**_** luv for helping me out!**

**I love and am in awe of all the fantastic reviews I am receiving. I am glad you are enjoying the fic and hope for your continued satisfaction! B~)**

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The young witch didn't know how long they stayed like that, lying with their bodies connected in their climactic afterglow, but she did know it was Severus who broke the silence.

"I'm sorry." his usually silken voice was slightly gravelly as he murmured his apology into the riot of curls next to her ear.

Hermione frowned; while those words from this particular wizard were priceless, she hardly found where they applied. "What for, that was bloody brilliant!" When he moved to look at her with a stern expression that held a ghost of a question, the witch beamed up at him, "Of course, I'm not drawing on a wealth of knowledge here, but I am _incredibly _satisfied." To punctuate her words, she kissed the tip of his overlarge nose.

Snape's ink black eyes stared down at her for a long moment before he spoke again, "You mean...you don't-"

"Regret this?" she finished his question. "Not a chance. I actually can't remember ever doing something that felt so-"

"Right," This time _he_ finished _her _sentence as he rolled his eyes, "I know. You and that bloody feeling." The dark wizard sneered as he finally moved off the witch.

Hermione hissed as Severus' flaccid cock slipped out of her tender walls and watched him turn to sit at the foot of the narrow cot; his back to her.

She watched as he tunneled his fingers through his raven locks to bring the strands over his face to rest behind his shoulders. That action made Hermione finally take in all the scars on the wizard's back. It was worse than his chest. Not one area of his back was clear of some sort of reminder of abuse on his person. It made her sad but she knew if she brought them up, she would probably drive Snape away and she didn't want them to part just yet.

Sitting up, Hermione scooted down the cot to press her front flat against Snape's back, her legs on either side of his as she snaked her arms around his waist. "Does that mean that you regret this?" She rested her lips between his shoulder blades.

After a long pause, his deep voice broke the silence again. "I don't know." His right hand came up to rest over hers on his stomach, "As I've said before, this can't be anything. Soon, we will part... likely never to cross paths again."

It was dishearteningly sad, but Hermione was very well aware that tomorrow was not promised to either of them at a time of such extreme uncertainty and conflict. "I know," She rested her cheek on his warm scarred skin, "and while that is a rather depressing fact, it does not change my feelings for this moment."

Snape's body shook with a humorless chuckle. "Gryffindor sentimentality,"

She pinched his taut stomach, "Now, now. No bashing of houses, Severus."

"Habit," was his retort.

Speaking in a posh and feigned admonishing tone, Hermione said, "Horrible habit, really. You should see what you can do about that." Taking in everything the dark wizard said, she asked, "Does that mean that your regret doesn't lie with what we've done but with the fact that it won't last?" She felt his body go ridged at her inquiry. "You can tell me, you know. After all, we're likely never to see each other again," she said with a lightness she didn't feel, "and I highly doubt I will survive this war either, in any case."

He moved to look behind him, at her before shaking his head and sighing. "Then why should I answer? It won't change anything."

Moving her chin to rest on his right shoulder, the witch ignored his question and posed another. "If things were different?"

"They're not," he said blandly.

"_If_." She let her fingers lightly draw designs on his stomach and chest. "If You-Know-Who was nothing but dust… If the war wasn't going on?"

Severus dipped his head so his hair formed a curtain around his face. "What are you asking, Granger?"

"What happened to Hermione?" she asked, but he stayed silent. _Damn, he's really making this hard, _Hermione thought. All she wanted to know was if he regretted being intimate with her or if he even cared. "I'm asking what would you see for yourself if this war wasn't happening? If _he _never came back into power?"

"What is the point of such inane thinking? It is a scenario that will never happen." He spoke tersely before continuing with a bit of an angry hiss, "If this is some sort of silly, round-about way of asking me if we would have been intimate if circumstances were different, the answer is no. If we weren't at war, you would still be at Hogwarts and therefore one of my charges. In this alternate reality you are so adamant on exploring, Albus would have my head if I touched a student. And if not he, Minerva would turn me into catnip and happily bat me around for the rest of her days." After a pause, he continued, "And I doubt if circumstances were different, you'd look at me as anything other than the Greasy Git of the Hogwarts dungeons."

She snorted. "If you say so." She wasn't sold on that but let it rest all the same. Something about her and Snape being together felt -without sounding like an infatuated Ronald Weasley- elemental; like it was meant to be.

Hermione wasn't at all sold on fate or destiny or anything else that insinuated that she was not in charge of her own life -she was still struggling horribly with this whole prophecy Harry was a part of- but the moment that her lips had touched Severus', it just seemed that some sort of fog lifted and the dark wizard was the clear answer to some unasked question. Something she had been searching for without knowing. "It's nice to know you hold Dumbledore, McGonagall and your duties in such high regard."

"Despite what everyone thinks, I always have."

"So what do you see for yourself, if things were different?" she urged again.

"Hermione, this is a pointless, absurd conversation!" he barked, but the way he had used her first name was not lost on her.

She ignored him as her fingers continued drawing patterns on his stomach. "I imagine myself graduating, with top marks of course,"

He scoffed, "Of course."

"And then I would either apprentice or go to uni for Charms. After that, I would get a job teaching because I can't really see myself outside of some level of an academic setting for long." She spoke softly as she stared at the flaps to the entrance of the tent as her fingers continued doodling. "Eventually settle down and possibly have a child or two." She shrugged and sighed. "Sometimes I dream of a different, carefree life. I suppose it's some sort of coping mechanism for reality."

After another long pause, Snape spoke quietly, "You could still have that."

"Doubt it. Like I said, I don't believe I will survive this war either. I don't think many of us will, truthfully. The only thing that keeps me going is ridding the world of Vo… You-Know-Who for future generations."

"Martyr... How very Gryffindor." Snape drawled.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment since I already admonished you for your horrible habit of house bashing." she teased as she kissed his shoulder.

The dark wizard's hands moved to still hers as he mumbled a _tempus_ charm. Golden numbers glittered into view out of thin air just beyond them. "It is quarter to three," Snape said unnecessarily. "You should get back to your tent."

"And you?" Hermione pulled her hands from his grasp and resumed her doodling.

"I need to get back to Hogwarts," Snape said as he moved to stand.

The witch held him still, "No. Stay with me... just a bit longer. I don't have to wake Ron to take the next watch until four." When he didn't attempt to move again, Hermione took that as a silent acquiesce and kissed his shoulder before her doodling fingers moved south.

She felt Snape shiver and tense, "Hermione..." her name came out as a questioned warning.

The fingers of her right hand twirled in his short, wiry pubic hairs before she moved to grasp his semi-erect cock.

"Hermione!" he jerked slightly as her small hand wrapped around his thick member.

"I want you," she confessed in a whisper before nuzzling into the soft ebony hair at his neck as her hand began manipulating him into full erectness.

"Granger-"

"Don't you 'Granger' me," she said firmly. "Not now...after this," the witch released the wizard's dick to cup his balls.

Snape sucked in a sharp breath as he bucked into her hand. "SHIT!"

She applied light pressure on his balls before tickling them a bit and moving back to grip the base of his cock.

"Hhh... _FUCK_!" his hips jerked again and Hermione felt an immense sense of pride at being able to unravel the incredibly reserved and disciplined wizard. "Hermione..." Snape moaned as he leaned back and rested his head on her left shoulder.

"Please, Severus?" she asked as she worked her hand over his throbbing erection.

Their eyes connected before his lips sought hers. "Aren't you sore?" he asked after they parted.

"A bit," she confessed as she pouted._ He's probably going to use that as an excuse now. _

Hermione was disappointed when Snape batted her hand away from his sex and stood up. She watched his nude form move to his discarded frock coat and dug in a pocket.

After a moment, the dark wizard stood and turned, his erection proudly straining for the witch as he held out a phial of clear liquid. "Apply it to your vaginal walls and the relief should be instantaneous. It is a variation of the pain reliever you took earlier."

How he could still retain his elegant stature and professorial facade when he was stark naked and sporting raging hard on was beyond the young witch. "Wow, do you have some sort of portable potions storeroom in that coat of yours?" Hermione took the phial as she scooted back on the cot to make room for Severus to kneel on it.

"Something to that effect."

Suddenly, inspiration hit the witch. Uncorking the vial, Hermione poured it over Snape's cock.

"What the-"

"I _could_ apply it myself," Hermione interrupted the dark wizard's protest, "but why should I if you could apply it for me? You're headed that way anyway." Her right hand moved to spread the viscous liquid evenly over Snape's dick and swirled it around the mushroomed head. "Um, no pun intended," she giggled. "Sit down."

She could feel his eyes glaring at her before he sat down on the narrow cot; straddling it and facing her.

Discarding the empty vial, Hermione moved to straddle Snape's lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she trapped his wet cock between their bodies as she kissed him hard; nipping his lower lip.

"Hermione..." he spoke as he exhaled shakily. The witch had slid her hand between them to situate him at her entrance "...Why?"

Kissing the diamond shaped bump on the bridge of his hooked nose, Hermione lowered herself onto him. Indeed, the tinge of pain and tenderness she felt faded quickly. She whispered, "Because..."

"Because... Mmmmm, _damn_... is not an answer." His forehead rested on hers as his arms came around to hold her close. "Explain it to me," Severus demanded but not in a vicious way.

Allowing herself to adjust to his intrusion and the euphoric fullness that came with it, Hermione shook her head, "You wouldn't feel the same."

"That... is an assumption," his deep voice answered lowly as his eyes locked with hers.

"I doubt it is the wrong assumption." She held him closer.

He didn't answer but his eyes seemed conflicted somehow as he frowned at her.

Kissing the wrinkle between his eyebrows, Hermione said softly, "It's inconsequential anyway. If by some absolute miracle we both survive this war, come and find me. I'll explain it then."

Nodding, he answered, "I will hold you to that." Snape began kissing the witch's jaw line; emitting a groan as Hermione began moving; rolling her hips before impaling herself on him again.

"Me too..." she sighed as she nipped his ear. "Now," she rolled her hips as her breath hitched, "I may have read a book or two... to get the general mechanics of intercourse sorted... but-"

Snape snorted. "Leave it to you to study _this_ in a book." The corners of his lips actually quirked up slightly.

Tunneling her left hand in his soft locks, the witch tugged on a fistful of it at the crown of his head. "_The point_," she stressed, "is that application is different than theory." Her lips ghosted over his. "I'll need your guidance." As she spoke her last words, she lifted herself a few inched off of Snape's ridged sex only to slide back down.

Severus emitted a deep groan that sounded almost like a large cat purring as he pulled her closer. "I do believe... that you have the general gist... Hermione..." His right hand moved into her chaotic hair and pulled her into another kiss, holding her there even as he began speaking again. "Like anything worth doing right...it requires practice." His left hand gripped her ass and guided her up and then down again. "...Lots of repetition. Just keep doing what you're doing."

And Hermione did just that. With her forehead on his left shoulder and her left hand fisting his hair, the witch watched Severus' glistening length disappear and reappear from within her as sparks of bliss began lifting her to her peak.

After a few minutes, her thighs quivered as she gained momentum in her ministrations, feeling that she was at the cusp of climax again as she panted.

Snape was panting too as he kissed and nipped the young witch's neck and shoulder, slick with sweat. His left hand moved to fiddle with the necklace she wore on her otherwise bare body while his right hand dropped down to their junction, his thumb finding the witch's clit and rubbing.

"OOOHHH!" Hermione's head whipped back as her orgasm shot through her with a speed and intensity that was unexpected. Her hand fell from Severus' hair to grip his shoulder.

Feeling Hermione's walls contract around him made Severus swear as he laid back on the cot, "FUCK... hhhh..." His breathing was erratic as he began pumping relentlessly into her; using his feet that were planted on the ground for added leverage. "MERLIN, HERMIONE!" His head whipped back, much like hers had, and hung over the edge of the cot for some moments.

"AH!" With her body relaxing slightly as her climax ebbed, Hermione fell forward slightly only to stop herself by planting her hands on Snape's toned chest. "Oh my Gods... holy Hades..."

By this time, Severus had stilled slightly to catch his breath, his eyes staring up at Hermione unwaveringly.

Smiling down at him, the young witch leaned over and kissed the dark wizard. She dipped her tongue into his mouth to caress its counterpart. A kiss that each seemed to be lost in for a timeless moment before she broke it off and sat back up; accidentally grinding her hips into him and making them both moan.

As if stumbling upon a wonderful idea, the witch took advantage of their position and ground herself more purposefully on Snape.

"Ohhgodssummmmineee!" Snape half grunted, half moaned.

Soon Hermione was feeling herself reaching another peak as she mixed her thrusts with the winding and grinding of her hips. She could no longer speak or think, all she could do was continue with her ministrations and whimper as she stared down at her lover, not aware of how her nails were digging into his chest.

"Hermione... I'm going to..." Snape panted as his hips lifted off of the cot to meet her thrusts.

"Me-" but that was all she could get out, for the next moment had her going ridged with another orgasm. "MMMMM!" her body bobbed up and down with the force of Snape thrusting into her; feeling her breasts jump and sway with his efforts.

"OH... UNGODLY MINX!" Severus shouted as he watched the witch bob above him before spilling inside of her.

The feeling of the dark wizard's cock twitching deep inside as his seed leaked out of her was such an odd and surreal experience but one she found she liked very much.

Looking down, it finally dawned on her that her nails were making deep grooves in Snape's chest. "Oh..." she relaxed her grip and rubbed the indentations, some bleeding, "I'm sorry. Really Severus, I didn't mean to."

He simply stared up at her as his hands moved to grasp hers and moved them up to wrap around his neck.

Willingly taking his lead, Hermione covered Snape with her petite frame as his right hand moved back to her hair while his left ghosted over her back.

Her eyes were getting heavy when she felt a pinch to her arse.

"Don't fall asleep. You must head back to your tent soon," Snape spoke in a commanding tone.

"Alright. I know," she yawned, as she nuzzled into his neck.

"Perhaps," the dark wizard drawled after a silent moment, "it would be best if we got up and dressed now."

Pushing down her sad dismay, Hermione nodded. "I suppose." Lifting her head up enough to gaze down at Severus, she took his lips in a soft kiss before moving off of him, both of them hissing as their bodies parted.

Finding her wand on top of her pile of clothes on the floor near the head of the cot with the sword of Gryffindor, the young witch grabbed it up and performed a cleaning spell on herself before searching for her bra and knickers.

"Looking for these?"

She looked over to see Severus standing with his black boxer/briefs already on, holding up her green bra and Superman boy shorts in one hand.

She moved to him and grasped her undergarments, but she did not retreat away from him. Instead, she moved to slide her arms around his thin waist and rested her forehead on his chest. She was amazed to feel his arms encircle her and his prominent nose bury itself in her hair.

"I don't," his deep velvety voice spoke after several moments.

Pulling away, Hermione peered up at him only to see those signature detached facial features back in place. "You don't what?"

Staring resolutely beyond her, Snape answered, "I don't...regret this."

Smiling, the young witch kissed the wizard's breast bone. "Nor do I. Not in the slightest." Reluctantly pulling away, Hermione went about getting dressed.

As she slipped on her trainers, Snape came to stand beside her, fully clothed in his usual black voluminous robes. She looked up at him from her spot on the cot as he held out a handful of shrunken beakers and a stone.

"I believe these potions will be of great use to you and your..._friends_ on your journey. A strong pain potion, muscle relaxant, blood replenisher, wit enhancer, pepper up potion and a bezoar stone."

Taking the offered items, the young witch stuffed them into her coat pocket and asked, "Why the bezoar stone? I understand the others..."

"You are out in the wilderness, are you not? It will aid in any unwarranted dealings with extremely venomous beasts," he explained in a bored tone.

"Thank you." She looked down as she ran a finger along a stitched seam of the black, gray and green patchwork blanket.

"Take it, if you wish."

Hermione stared up at the dark wizard in surprise. "I couldn't, it's yours."

"It's a ruddy blanket. If you want it, take it."

She stood. "Are you sure?" At that, he glared at her. She raised her hands in surrender. "Alright." pulling out her wand, she tapped the charmed blanket and watched it shrink to the size of a hanky before folding it and putting it in her pocket.

"Come."

After putting the sword of Gryffindor in her bag and grabbing up her wand, Hermione followed the dark wizard as he led the way out of the small tent.

When they were outside, Snape waved his wand and the tent vanished.

He looked back at her, "We are currently protected by my wards but once I cancel them, you will be visible and vulnerable to the elements," Snape explained in a tone that reminded Hermione of her time in his classroom. "Therefore, once I cancel them, you will have to hurry back to your tent. As I've said, it is due east; about a three minute run. The potion I gave you for your legs should still be in effect and you should not experience any cramps with this exertion."

As the dark wizard explained everything, it hit Hermione fully that this would most likely be the very last time she saw Snape again. She fought valiantly to keep her eyes dry but the stinging and blurriness she was experiencing told her that she was fighting a losing battle. Ducking her head, she closed her eyes and let the tears fall.

No longer hearing Snape's voice, the witch surmised that he had left her. Covering her face with her hands, Hermione let out a sorrowful sob.

_He was gone. He didn't even say goodbye..._

She flinched and quickly pointed her wand at the chin of whoever grasped her arm.

Seeing that it was the dark wizard, Hermione let out a strangled sniffle and clung to him.

"Hermione?" Severus intoned it as a question as he let her cry into his robes.

"I'm sorry. I just... I was thinking... and then I didn't hear you anymore... I thought you left without... without saying goodbye..."

"I will not leave until you are ready to run," he said forcefully. "Though, you have to pull yourself together soon. It is ten to four."

Nodding and wiping her tears, she sniffled, "I know, it's just..." She peered up at Snape's obsidian eyes. "Severus, can you do me a favor?"

He looked at her with no emotion. "What?"

"Can you just tell me that you will work hard to see the end of the war," She sniffled again, "to survive it all and live? Promise me, even if it is a lie."

There was a long silence before he said in a gruff voice she had only heard once before, "I will not promise something I have no hope to control, Hermione. And I will not promise a lie."

Wiping more tears from her cheek, the witch nodded. "Fine, then let me give you something as a token of my thanks for everything you've done... and will do. Something that will make you remember that someone knows the truth of you, even if you, yourself, get lost in the lies. Knows that you aren't a monster... or heartless... or..." She sniffled once more. "Or a loyal Death Eater…" She pulled her necklace from under her clothes and unclasped it before holding it out to show Snape. "I've worn this every day since the morning I got my Hogwarts letter and learned I was a witch." Clearing her throat, she continued, "It's just a muggle made silver necklace. No charms or enchantments. The pendant is a Celtic symbol for luck. My mum and dad bought it for me as a congratulatory gift... to show their support."

The dark wizard took the silver necklace; studying it and then the witch.

"I want you to promise me that you will wear it every day from now on. Wear it as a reminder... that I support every decision you make in this war... because I know that you are not the bad guy everyone else sees." Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat and spoke with more force. "Promise me, Severus."

Snape looked back at the necklace before nodding curtly and fitting the silver chain to clasp around his neck. "Do you want a wand oath?"

She gave him a watery smile, "No, your word is good enough for me."

He stared at her oddly for a moment before clearing his throat. "I promise." He tucked the necklace into his robes.

Hermione smiled as tears fell down her cheeks. Not able to hold back anymore, she tackled the dark wizard and pulled his lips to hers for a fevered kiss. Her tongue sought his as they began to dance between each other's domain.

Pulling away, Severus gripped the young witch's shoulders and spoke in haste. "Hermione, we are out of time. You must get back to your tent."

Nodding, she got herself prepared.

Taking a few deep breaths, Hermione nodded to Snape, "Goodbye Severus." She felt him cancel his wards as he nodded back to her.

"Goodbye Hermione." He swirled his voluminous robes and turned into nothing but black smoke.

Hermione watched the smoke hover for a moment before she realized it was still Snape in some elemental form... waiting for her to move... watching over her still.

In a heartbeat, she turned and sprinted in the direction of her tent, noticing how the black smoke dipped and swerved around trees and branches as it kept up with her.

She jumped fallen trees and sidestepped roots that stuck up from the frozen ground.

After what felt like forever but was probably only a few minutes, Hermione reached an area she recognized. She was mere seconds from her tent.

That was when she felt Severus' presence leave her.

Beating down her sorrow, the witch forced herself to speed up until she broke the barrier of her wards.

**0o0o0o0**

**More to come soon!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.**

**So, my beta reader, **_**Monkeywand**_**, is a superstar! Shine on!**

**To everyone reading, thank you for taking the time!**

**To everyone reviewing, I must confess that I am now addicted! Please continue to tell me what you think!**

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Breathing heavily, Hermione dropped her wand on the frozen ground as she moved to a nearby tree and leaned her back against it. Safely within her wards, the young witch allowed herself to slide down to the forest floor as she let the tears stinging her tired eyes to fall down her cheeks.

Gone…he was gone! There time was over, done_._

She covered her mouth with her hands to stifle a sob.

_This is so unfair!_

Why, why did she have to stumble onto something so good only to have to let it go?

"Get a hold of yourself, Hermione, you are being ridiculous!" she told herself even as a small voice inside of her asked petulantly,

_Am I?_

"Yes," she answered herself out loud as she managed to stand and brush herself off. "It's no use dwelling… just chalk it up to an experience and move on; a bloody wonderful experience but an experience nonetheless."

The voice within whispered a defiant 'no' to her demand.

Huffing in frustration and wiping her tears away so much that her cheeks were raw from her efforts, Hermione tried hard to pull herself together. It was ten after four; Ron would wonder what kept her from waking him on time.

The young witch gathered her wand and made her way into the tent. The sight she walked into made her shake her head.

Ron had fallen asleep at the table, lightly snoring with spittle puddling on the table around his squished cheek as the locket dangled from his fisted hand. Harry had fallen asleep in the nearby chair, holding a mostly empty bottle of Ogden's between his legs as his head hung limp and at an odd angle behind the backrest. He too was snoring.

She wondered if she should wake them both up and tell them of the sword so they could go about destroying the locket and be done with the ruddy thing.

But that would take a lot of explaining, something Hermione knew would be strenuous since she could not speak of anything directly pertaining to Snape. Not to mention, that was where her thoughts were at present, so she knew she would begin crying anew and wouldn't be able to explain herself.

No, she needed some sleep; a bit of a reprieve; for the sake of her puffy, burning eyes if not for her sanity.

She quietly moved to her cot and hid her beaded bag under her cot. After, she padded over to Ron and shook him awake.

"Ronald! Ronald, wake up!" she hissed, so as not to wake up Harry.

Ron's bloodshot blue eyes popped open and he moved quickly to sit up and wipe the drool from his mouth. "Wha's happened?" He looked around blearily.

"Nothing," Hermione whispered as she executed a levicorpus spell on Harry's contorted body. "It's time to switch off." She guided Harry to his cot before turning back to the tall redhead and stuck out her hand. "Let me have the locket."

Standing, Ron scratched his whiskered chin and rubbed his swollen eyes. "No, it's alright, Mi, I can keep it."

She narrowed her eyes. "You most certainly will not. That locket affects you more than me or Harry! It would be stupid to have you hold it for longer than necessary."

"Yeah, but what it makes me think... what it makes me feel..." He looked down at the locket in his hand. "I know now that it can't be true."

The witch attempted to tunnel her hand through her chaotic mass of curls as she sighed. "Even so. Logically, I know some of the things it makes me feel can't be real but it doesn't stop me from lashing out from time to time. And the last thing we need, Ronald Weasley, is for you to fly off in a rage and leave again."

As if, on cue, Harry let out a mighty drunken snore from his cot.

"See?" she whispered. "Harry agrees." Sticking her hand out again, Hermione wiggled her fingers, "Hand it over."

The redhead gave her a crooked smile. "You take that as an agreement?" He relented and handed over the horcrux.

"As good as, for a passed out drunken sod." She put the locket around her neck. "I'm sure Harry will be awake before your watch ends. Wake me before you both go wash up, yeah?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "Night, Mione." With that, Ron left the tent.

With a tired huff, the young witch moved to her cot, took off her hat, coat and trainers before pulling out a tiny bit of cloth from her pockets and enlarging it. Inhaling the fabric to smell the mixture of spearmint, fire whisky, cedar, parchment and _him_, Hermione lay down on her cot and cocooned herself in its warmth.

Earlier, she was too cold to fully pay attention to the characteristics of the blanket, other than its smell, but this time she deduced very quickly that the blanket was charmed. That weightless feeling of floating on a cloud as well as the warmth it gave off were no ordinary characteristics; certainly not for a weathered old blanket.

Burying herself deeper into the patchwork quilt, Hermione's thoughts traitorously returned to Snape and their intensely brief time together. Simultaneously, her stomach fluttered as her eyes began stinging with unshed tears.

_Why did I have to follow that ruddy Patronus? Why didn't I just leave in the beginning when he offered, why did I have to run after him? Why did I kiss him...and let things go as far as they did? _

Tears escaped her sore eyes as she blinked and nuzzled the scented fabric.

_Because you needed to feel a human connection to someone other than Harry and Ron_, that blasted voice within her answered. _And who better to connect with than someone else you had a crush on at one time?_

It was true of course, Hermione had had a crush on the brooding professor on and off ever since the summer holiday before her fifth year. It was never as pronounced as her crush on Ron but she couldn't deny that Snape invaded some of her nighttime fantasies and schoolgirl daydreams.

_His voice alone…,_ the witch thought wistfully before grunting in aggravation. _For fuck's sake!_

Said crush was nothing she was proud of, mainly because it was a painfully accurate example of masochistic tendencies; until now.

_Even now!_

In the past, her crush on Snape was truly a revolving door; moving from fantasies of heated debates over potions articles -and involving a fair amount of melted chocolate- to righteous anger at the way he treated her and her friends on any given day.

She had thought learning of the dark wizard's actions in the astronomy tower was more than enough to put her off entirely.

_And maybe it was, but the moment I found out he did not betray the light…_

Gasping, Hermione's eyes went wide.

_Was that the reason I let all of this happen? Was it some sick subconscious need to fulfill a fantasy?_

She hoped it wasn't. What would that say about her if it was?

_Did I just…take advantage of Severus Snape? Or… did he take advantage of me? _The witch sighed; _does it even matter anymore now? What's done is done and I absolutely refuse to feel bad about it!_

No, no matter how suddenly empty and lost she felt, Hermione could not and would not regret her actions. She was just sad it had to end so quickly.

Thinking back to the events of the evening soon brought a smile to the witch's face. It was so ridiculous it was almost comical. How was she supposed to tell Ron and Harry how she came to posses the sword of Gryffindor? _'Hey guys, how are you doing today? Oh, this sword here? Yeah, it's the sword of Gryffindor. I came across it in my meanderings through the forest when I went for a dip in the pond. That was after following a glowing deer. After that, I warmed up in Snape's tent, just down the way. We had a lovely chat; found out I was right about the tosser all along so, in your face Harry Potter! Oh yeah, we shagged. It was amazing! So, what do you say we destroy this horcrux'?_ Hermione giggled.

Yeah, if she didn't want Harry and Ron to drop dead straight away of shock, she would have to edit that a bit. She would be forced to edit it anyway, since her wand oath to Severus would prevent her from being so free with her words.

_So no mentioning Snape and his tent._

Her thoughts went back to the tent and his earlier words about it. He told her it was something he threw up, last minute to get her out of the cold. The tent had been sparse; essentially just a cot. So where did the blanket come from? That was very out of place for something that was so last minute. She didn't doubt his words, only wondered why Snape would have a patchwork quilt on hand?

_Curious..._

The witch shifted to lie on her tummy as her mind shifted back to worrying whether Snape would be alright. She hoped beyond hope that he would.

**0o0o0o0**

With the unsettling feeling of somebody staring at her, Hermione startled into wakefulness. It took her a moment to get her bearings and remember where she was; something that she had been doing a lot of lately since living on the run.

After the fog of sleep abated, Hermione realized quickly that someone, indeed, was staring at her. A tall dark shadow was standing over her with glittering black eyes.

Instead of feeling scared, the young witch felt happiness bubble inside of her as she sat up to hug the intimidating figure.

"Severus, what are you doing here?" she questioned as her arms wrapped tightly around his narrow waist. "How did you get passed the wards...? Didn't Ron see you?"

"As if the weasel would be any match for me if he had," Snape drawled boredly.

Hermione smiled into his traveling cloak. "Has anyone told you that name-calling isn't nice?"

"And I am _so_ worried about what could be construed as nice."

Moving to kneel on her cot, she wrapped her arms loosely around the dark wizard's neck and smiled. "You really shouldn't be here. Harry could wake up at any moment."

"That's alright, I won't be long anyway," Snape's velvety voice murmured lowly, "and I would appreciate it if you would take your filthy mudblood paws off of me."

Shocked, Hermione pulled back to look up at Severus. "W-what did you just say?"

"I said, unhand me you filthy mudblood bint." His eyes were filled with hate as his hands came up to forcibly pull her arms away from him.

The young witch felt as if she'd just been punched. "S-Severus..."

"How dare you presume to speak with such familiarity!" Snape hissed.

Tears filled Hermione's still very sore eyes and blurred her vision. "W-why are you talking this way? What have I done?"

"Done? You've simply existed," he said with disdain.

Trying to choke down a sob, the young witch shook her head, "Severus, stop it, this isn't you!"

"And when did _you_ become the expert on _me_?"

"Stop! Has someone found out about tonight, are you acting like this to cover your tracks? Tell me, Severus, please. You can tell me the truth, is this an act?"

The wizard sneered. "The only act of this evening was the act I put on with you in that puny little tent."

"Don't!" Hermione bit her lower lip as tears trickled down her cheeks.

"What, you really think that _meant_ anything to me?" He chuckled.

"It had to... the way you held me; kissed me... you _said_ you didn't regret it!" the witch's arms wrapped protectively around herself.

"And I don't. That does not mean I have any great regard for _you_!"

The disgust dripping from his words twisted the young witch's gut. "How could you say that?"

"Easy, because it's true."

"I-I don't believe you."

"I don't give a damn what you believe."

Hermione sniffled and struggled to breathe regularly, "So... what we had...?"

Snape gave her a twisted smile. "Nothing but an act... to get you on your back with your legs spread wide. I'm a wizard after all, I have needs. Who better to fulfill them than a gullible little Gryffindor whore."

"YOU'RE LYING!" Hermione screamed, briefly wondering why Harry hadn't budged from his cot.

"Am I? Tell me, Granger, why would I bury my dick in you, of all people? It may have escaped your notice, but I've never_ liked _you!" he hissed. "It may also come as a surprise, but I'm a _spy_! Did it ever occur to you that I was simply doing my job?"

Hermione gasped. "S-spying? On us? W-why?"

Snape chuckled again. "You must be joking? You're part of the infamous Golden Trio. Every Death Eater and Snatcher has been looking for you for months. I do believe the Dark Lord will reward me wonderfully for the treasures I'm about to bring him."

"Death Eater? B-but you're on our side!" Hermione was close to hyperventilating.

"I'm on no one's side but my own!"

The witch heard muffled moans from where Harry's cot was and she knew instantly why her friend hadn't moved.

He was in a full body bind.

Her eyes scanned the tent and gasped at the scene just behind the tall shadowed wizard.

Ron, lying in a heap on the floor, blood oozing from his neck.

"RON!" Hermione screamed but couldn't get her legs to move off of her cot to go to him.

"Of course, the bounty won't be as much with just the two instead of the full set but..." Snape shrugged. "I think the Dark Lord will forgive me when he see's what's around your neck, however."

Hermione scooted away from Snape. "H-how could you?"

"Easily," he drawled. "Now, Granger, come along. If you are good, maybe I will take you as my concubine."

"No...nonononono...NO!" Hermione sunk further into the cot as the dark wizard reached for her…

**0o0o0o0**

Hermione's eyes flew open and she gasped loudly as she sat up in her cot and looked around.

It was light out and she could hear the birds chirping. In the distance, she could hear two familiar voices.

"Harry, that was seventeen! There's no possible way you are already on your twenty-fifth push-up!" Ron laughed, "...eighteen, nineteen..."

"...eleven, twenty-two, thirty-nine..."

"Great you anus, now I've lost count!" Ron huffed. "Where did you get the bright idea that exercise helps a hang over?"

Harry laughed, "Who, not where… and whom do you think?"

"No way! When did she get sloshed…?"

Hermione put her hand on her racing heart and forced herself to breathe deep.

_A dream...it had been a bad, bad dream... a horrible nightmare..._

Her hand moved over the chain of the locket she was wearing and understanding dawned on her. She took the horcrux off and glared down at it.

_I had that horrendous nightmare because of you, you fucking piece of evil jewelry!_

She went through the awful dream in her head before shuttering and trying to analyze it rationally.

_None of that could ever be true, could it? No, of course not… This stupid locket feeds on one's insecurities and blows them out of proportion._

With that said, it brought to light the fact that subconsciously, she still had her reservations about Severus Snape.

Why _did Severus shag me?_

Nothing in their past suggested he even saw her in that way. Actually, their past being what it was, it was entirely believable that he did hate her. So last night could have simply been a Slytherin taking advantage of a situation to benefit him. He was a guy, after all.

_Oh, stop it, Hermione!_ The witch scolded herself. _It doesn't matter what his reasons for being with you were, because it'll never happen again! He is not the ugly, awful wizard in your dreams because he wouldn't have been able to handle the sword of Gryffindor if he was!_ She worried her lower lip as she thought. _Of course, he hadn't once handled the sword in my presence last night._

Getting up, Hermione got cleaned up, dressed, shrunk the quilt to a manageable size to stuff in her pocket and brought out the sword hiding under her cot. She'd had more than enough of the evil locket; it was time to tell the boys.

**0o0o0o0**

Walking outside, Hermione saw Harry apparently still trying to do push-ups and Ron lounging lazily against a tree watching him.

"Morning,"

Harry looked up. "Morning, Mione."

Ron pushed off the tree and cleared his throat, looking anxious. "Morning, Mi." He looked at what she was carrying. "Hey, w-what is_ that_?"

Harry stood and brushed off his hands. "That's the sword of Gryffindor," he answered absently, before freezing and turning back to the witch. "Hermione, h-how did you get the sword of Gryffindor?"

"Never mind how, _when_?" Ron looked at her in astonishment.

Hermione took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing._ "I... um, came across it last night."

Both boys looked at each other and back at her.

Harry's voice rose, "You _came_ across it?"

Ron murmured confusedly, "Last night?"

Nodding, Hermione began retelling the events of the previous night; all of it true up until she grabbed the sword from the bottom of the pond.

"...I, um, pulled myself back out... uh, dried off and dressed before making my way back," she ended, fidgeting. She hated lying, especially to her friends.

Both boys were blinking owlishly for many minutes until Ron broke the silence. "And... and you just come back, wake me, take the horcrux and just... go to bed?"

"I was exhausted!"

"...and just go to bed?"

"Ron, I was too tired to have this conversation at four in the morning," she said with a frown. In truth, she was too tired to have this conversation now.

Ron just stared at her. "...And. Just. Go. To. _Bed_?"

"Okay, Ron... I get it." She was getting a bit edgy. "I should have woken Harry-two-sheets-to-the-wind over there at four in the morning and attempt to explain to him and you, who was very much hung over, that I found our House's sword at the bottom of a pond after chasing a ghostly animal through the forest. I mean, both of you are more-or-less sober now and you still seem to be trying to understand."

"What I'm trying to understand is why you wouldn't just destroy the bloody horcrux and tell us about it later. Why go to sleep with it around your neck?"

"What I'm still stuck on," Harry piped up, "is how you, Hermione, could be as reckless as to leave the safety of the wards in the middle of the night to follow what was obviously someone's Patronus." He seemed a bit miffed. "It could have been a trap."

"It could have been, but it wasn't!" she shrieked. "And you are hardly one to chastise _me_ on being reckless, Harry Potter!" the witch huffed. "It got us the tool we needed to destroy this blasted horcrux, didn't it? Gleaning from that fact, we obviously have someone looking out for us... someone's on our side."

Both boys were silent for a moment before Harry nodded and said, "Alright, you took a risk and it ended up paying off, I get it. Just... next time, wake one of us, Mi. We may have someone looking out for us but we're all we can count on." Harry motioned between the three of them. "This is it, right here. Ron running off was bad enough but you are like my sister, Mione, I couldn't imagine something bad happening to you if I could have been there to prevent it."

Her anger sputtering into nonexistence, Hermione nodded. "It was recklessly stupid," she conceded, "but I wouldn't go back and change it for the world."

Ron cleared his throat and spoke enthusiastically. "Well I say we look on the bright side, here. We have the sword of Gryffindor... we have something to destroy these bloody horcruxes when we find them, now. I'd say that's a major step forward!"

Harry chuckled. "You're right. Who wants to have a go at the locket?"

"I would, if you two don't mind." Ron stepped up. "That locket messed with my emotions more than either of you." He glared at the locket in Hermione's other hand. "It's personal, you know?"

Hermione and Harry exchanged glances before shrugging.

"Alright, Ron," Harry took the horcrux from Hermione and laid it out on the trunk of a nearby fallen tree. "Just remember that whatever is in there is going to fight you."

Ron took the sword from Hermione as she took a few steps back and pulled out her wand.

"Now, when I open it, don't give it a chance to build up a defense, just stab it," Harry explained.

Moving into a battling stance, Ron raised the sword, ready to attack. "Alright, I'm ready when you are."

"On the count of three," Harry instructed as he moved into position. "One...two...three..."

**0o0o0o0**

The night air was crisp and the breeze was cold enough to bite one's ears and nose uncomfortably. Hermione pulled the weathered patchwork quilt around her tighter as she sat against the tree all three of them seemed to designate their watch spot.

To say that the day was odd was an understatement; and that was saying something, granted all of what the witch had seen in her young life.

First off, Hermione was wholly grateful she hadn't decided to take on the locket this morning. From what she saw of Ron taking it on, she was positive had she stepped to the locket, her insecurities and therefore secrets concerning Snape would have been outed in a second.

She was still sending silent thanks to whatever deity kept her from arguing Ron on the subject for the chance to take on the horcrux.

Thinking back to what she saw manifest from the locket this morning made Hermione's stomach roil. Seeing her and Harry half naked and snogging while telling Ron he was nothing was sickening.

_No wonder Ron ran off. I think I would too if that locket kept making me think and feel like that._

She felt sorry for her redheaded friend. He had always been insecure about his standing; whether in his family or with their friendship. He was the youngest of six brothers and felt he always had to contend with them in some way or another. Not to mention he had always felt like the sidekick to the great Harry Potter. Of course the locket would feed on all his insecurities.

Before last night, all the locket had made Hermione feel when she wore it was lost. Not doomed or angry, like it had with Harry, just... lost, like there was no real place for her and that they were just running around in circles.

Hermione turned to look at the shadows in the tent that seemed to be bent over the table, presumably locked in an intense game of chess.

After Ron successfully stabbed the locket this morning, things just got awkward.

After Harry lost a good deal of the fire whiskey that was still in his stomach, he began laughing uncontrollably over how Ron could possibly think he and Hermione were anything but friends.

She had to agree emphatically, but it still did nothing for her delicate feminine ego to see Harry vomit and then laugh at the prospect of them being together.

"Do you know that Ginny would hex my bollocks into berries, pluck them and then force me to eat them if I ever cheated on her? And with _Hermione_?" The witch remembered Harry's words before he doubled over with laughter, "If old Voldi doesn't kill me, I'd much rather like to live the rest of my life with my bits intact."

After Harry's tittering died out, Ron, with his red ears, expression of sheer embarrassment and all, walked up to her and declared that he would not give up on them. He said that he knew she was still angry with him but that was the reason she couldn't see them together. So, he would not give up proving to her that they were right for each other.

The only problem with that was she now knew without a doubt that she could never be with Ron. It was a pointless argument though; he was stubborn, so she just nodded and said it was really was a lost cause.

Of course as the day progressed, Harry began teasing Ron relentlessly by mock flirting with her.

_It's nice to see Harry smiling again but honestly, him flirting with me jokingly coupled with Ron flirting for real is just weird. _

That coupled with her near constant thoughts of a certain dark wizard had Hermione feeling as if she'd stepped into some alternate reality or had finally gone well and truly mental.

Inhaling the crisp night air that burned her lungs slightly, Hermione snuggled further into the blanket and inhaled Severus.

_What is he doing right now? Is he thinking of last night...of me? Probably not. I'm the one who was daft enough to catch feelings, not him. That doesn't sound like anything Snape would do...he's such an insensitive berk._

Her last thought had an endearing quality to it.

It was funny; only four hours ago, her former professor was the furthest thing from her mind. Now, she knew he would take up a good deal of her thoughts from now until...

_Until when? _She asked herself as she tried to sort out her turbulent emotions.

The witch looked up through the branches at the starry sky and began to sing,

"How do you numb your skin, after the warmest touch..." she sang quietly and off key as she thought of her time in that small tent with Severus, "How do you slow your blood, after the body rush..." In her mind's eye, she saw the glittering black eyes of Snape looking intently at her as she felt his body cover hers, "How do you free your soul, after you've found a friend... How do you teach your heart it's a crime to fall in love again?"

Hermione had never believed she had ever known love in the romantic sense and she downright detested anyone who put stock in 'love at first sight' but she was struggling with categorizing and making sense of these intense feelings.

_It can't be love at first sight because I've known him for seven years. But love?_ She shook her head with building irritation. _Please let whatever I'm feeling not be love...please. It just can't be or I'll have to commit myself to the Janus Thickey ward and become best mates with Lockhart and Neville's parents._

She continued on with her song, just to vent. "Oh, you probably won't remember me, it's probably ancient history. I'm one of the chosen few, who went ahead and fell for you...I'm out of vogue, I'm out of touch, I fell too fast, I feel too much..." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I thought that you might have, some advice to give...On how to be...Insensitive."

It was only when she opened her eyes again that Hermione realized that tears had built up in her eyes because they made a mad dash down her cheeks once her eyelids separated. Wiping the moisture from her face, the young witch growled in disgust. _For Fuck's sake!_

What started out as a cautious excursion to solve the mystery of the silver doe morphed into a bizarre meeting of two people unwittingly stumbling upon one another and finding comfort, however brief.

But it became about more than comfort; well, to the witch at least.

Now it felt as if she had found something, some integral part of her that she'd never knew she'd lost... just to have it ripped away from her again.

It was painfully discombobulating purely because it was so fantastically odd.

_Is it my silly Gryffindor sentimentality, feeling this way simply because Severus was my first and was a bloody extraordinary shag? Why did sex have to complicate everything?_

The more she thought about it, the more the young witch had to rule that particular line of thinking out. Although the sex was great, that's not where her sorrow centered. She wasn't distraught over never getting to rut with the dark wizard again. She was saddened over possibly never seeing him again. Hermione mourned for all that he had to take on by himself, mourned the fact that she knew vital information about him and his actions and could not speak it to anyone. But what broke her down the most was the possibility that she would never get to know the wizard fully; what made him happy, what made him sad... if this night meant as much to him as it was beginning to mean to her. Would she ever hear his voice again?

_You, Severus Snape, are going to occupy my mind from now until...the end. Whatever that entails…_

Another tear fell.

"This is ridiculous, Hermione. Tearing up at every turn is getting you nowhere. It is time to be productive."

Feeling around herself for her beaded bag, Hermione snatched it up and opened it to dig around for something that she could use as a distraction. Remembering Severus' memories, she scowled and reminded herself to be silent when searching in her bag; Phineus was a snitch.

Pulling out the compilation of child stories Dumbledore had left to her; Hermione went to work on trying to figure out what clues could be hidden in such a book.

She sat on watch for a good two hours reading the stories she'd already had memorized from back to front, having read this book almost every other night since receiving it, when her eyes passed over that strange symbol again.

It had to mean something; something worthwhile if it was in the book Dumbledore gave her as well as on that grave stone...and Luna's father was wearing the same symbol around his neck.

Hermione shut the book with a snap and heaved a sigh. It took her a few moments but then, like a bludger, it hit her.

_Lovegood_,

The young witch was sure the symbol was one of Dumbledore's odd bread crumbs left to them in order to find the other horcruxes; to lead them, as it were.

But she didn't know what the symbol meant. It only made sense that if Mr. Lovegood was wearing it, he'd know what it stood for and thus, be able to explain. With meaning behind the symbol, they would be better informed and better equipped to take the next step.

Yes, Xenophilius Lovegood had to be there next stop; it was the only feasible suggestion. Hermione needed to tell the boys.

Grabbing up her bag and wrapping the quilt tighter around her, Hermione took the book and walked back to the tent to explain her reasoning.

**0o0o0o0**

**A/N- The song Hermione was singing was 'Insensitive' by Jann Arden.**

**More to come soon!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.**

_**Monkeywand**_**, you're a frickin' rock star!**

**And to everyone taking the time to read and/or review, you're rock stars too!**

****0o0o0o0**  
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_**11th of February, 1998**_

Hermione groaned inwardly. She was exhausted and hungry. Her feet and legs were killing her from hiking half the day and she was pretty sure if Harry said 'Just a bit further' one more time, she would hex him.

It had been nearly six weeks since their visit to the Lovegoods and their subsequent escape from Death Eaters. Hermione thought it was heartbreaking that Luna was captured and she hoped beyond hope that she wasn't being tortured or that she had not been killed but they had to think about themselves right now and their mission. Not that they had made any real progress after finding out what the Deathly Hallows were from Mr. Lovegood but they couldn't give up now.

Ever since almost being captured by Death Eaters, they had taken to moving around every other day instead of every four or five. And it was beginning to wear on the witch.

"Okay guys," Harry broke the silence, "I think we can make camp beyond that tree lining, just there."

Hermione was overwhelmed with relief at being able to sit down soon. Truthfully, she could skip food if she could just get five or six hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Her thoughts were halted by Ron draping his arm around her shoulder.

"Hey Hermione, you don't look so good..."

Harry turned quickly, "Um, Ron-"

"Down right knackered-"

"-Ron!" Harry tried again; shaking his head and waving his hands in a desperate attempt to get his friend to stop digging his own grave.

"Do you want me to carry you the rest of the way?" Ron gave Hermione a lopsided grin, "I don't mind," he made a show of puffing up his chest.

Narrowing her eyes, Hermione spat, "I was doing splendidly until you weighed me down with your bulky arm!" She shrugged it off as her voice got louder, "And I'm sure your mother's done right to teach you some manners, Ronald! Telling a witch that she does not look good is simply bad form so I shall take it as the insult it is; no matter how it was intended. If you _ever_ suggest something as blatantly low brow as carrying me a half mile when you can see that I've got it sorted again, _you_ will be the one needing to be carried!" With that said, the witch quickened her pace to get away from Ron and to hurry to the tree line. Regardless of her words, she was indeed knackered.

Ronald was becoming increasingly problematic. In the past weeks his flirting -or what he thought was flirting- has been more and more prominent as was his abysmal attempt at chivalry.

Hermione knew she should be flattered and probably relax enough to give him another chance but she just couldn't. Whatever attraction she had to him had faded into nonexistence; in much the way she wished her current attraction would.

Try as she might, Hermione couldn't stop thinking about a certain dark wizard or the night they shared together.

Shaking her head, the young witch realized that she made it to the tree line and sighed in relief. Walking a few more paces, Hermione dropped to her knees, opened her beaded bag and accio'd their tent.

"We'll set up the tent, Mi, if you want to go ahead and get started on the wards." Harry said as he and Ron caught up with her.

She looked around, "It's almost dark. One of you may want to gather some wood for the fire and taking the bucket to fetch us some water so we can freshen up."

With a pout, Ron took the bucket Hermione accio'd from her bag and said, "I'll do it," before heading off in the direction of the stream they were following.

"Sorry Hermione." Harry said as he set about doing up the tent, "I tried to get him to shut his gob."

"...It's alright, Harry..._Repello_ _Muggletum_...It isn't your fault he's a prat..." Hermione continued to cast wards and repelling spells.

The two worked in silence for a few moments before Harry spoke again,

"He doesn't think before he speaks, I'll give you that, but..."

"But what?" Hermione waved her wand and cast a caterwauling charm.

Finishing with the tent, Harry rubbed his hands together and sighed, "He's really trying with you. Don't you think you could give him a-"

"Chance? Harry, I've given him plenty of chances!"

"Fair enough," He raised his hands in surrender. "You truly feel nothing for him anymore?"

Hermione sighed, "I love him, Harry, just not like that. I'm not sure where it went or why it went but it's gone. I honestly can't see myself with him, not anymore."

Harry nodded, "You can't help the way you feel... but neither can he. I'll try to get him to back off a bit but, I don't know, could you stop blowing up on him at every turn?"

Taking a seat at a tree near the tent, Hermione sighed, "I'll try, but if he says something that pig headed again, I'm going to hex a curly pink tail to grow out of his arse."

"Hagrid did that to Dudley once! The day he came to tell me I was a wizard!" Harry laughed.

"What's so funny?" Ron asked as he dumped a bunch of branches down in a pile and then set the bucket of water down next to the tent entrance.

"Oh, um, nothing. My stomach was just growling loud," Harry covered.

Hermione levitated the many branches into a tee-pee and cast them aflame before spelling the smoke to be invisible. Noticing the boys staring at her -as they always did when she did many spells in succession- Hermione heaved a trying sigh, "Well, are you just going to sit there gaping at me or are we going to eat?"

**0o0o0o0**

"Wow, you really are rubbish at this, Hermione." Harry said as he moved his rook to take out her queen, leaving her King open. It wasn't checkmate yet, but it was inevitable.

"I think it's some sort of record. One of the only things our Mione isn't good at." Ron said as he sat next to the entrance of their tent, watching the rain as it fell in sheets.

Hermione growled distractedly as she stared at the chessboard, "Not true, I'm not good at plenty of things. Take flying, for instance." She moved her king out of the way of Harry's rook but did not pay attention to his knight and suffered the consequences. Sighing, Hermione moved from the table to her cot "Ron, you're up." She pulled her blanket from her cot and wrapped it around her as she went to occupy the spot on the floor next to the entrance Ron had just vacated.

As Ron sat down at the table and began setting up the board for another round, he said, "This reminds me of rainy days at Hogwarts. You know, where you and me," he gestured to Harry. "would sit at the table and play chess for hours while Mione would sit at the window and read." He made his first move. "Man, I miss Hogwarts. The simplicity of it all; back when things weren't so... complicated."

"Excuse me, but when have things ever fit that description with us?" Hermione asked as she stared out at the rain. "Every year there was some sort of life endangering drama."

Harry laughed, "Look, Ron, Hermione has finally sorted her priorities. She put 'life endangerment' before 'expulsion'!"

Ron chuckled.

"Oh, ha, ha," She pouted, "excuse me if my education was important to me, you gits."

Ron took one of Harry's pawns, "Yeah, well I miss the days when all we really worried about was how many points we lost for Gryffindor."

Harry smiled and Hermione snorted.

"I miss Dumbledore," Harry said solemnly, "his, bright robes and the way he always had candy in his mouth. Or the way he always made things seem less threatening than they were."

"I miss him too," Hermione said, "he was who we associated most with safety."

Ron nodded, "Well, Dumbledore's a given but what else do you miss about Hogwarts? I miss Quidditch... OH, and the food!" He groaned in remembrance. "The Halloween feast, mmm."

"I miss tea with Hagrid," Harry stated and the others were quick to agree.

Hermione turned to the boys, "Even those ghastly rock cakes."

They all laughed.

Ron glared at Harry's bishop as it took one of his knights. "What do you miss, Mi? No, let me guess. You miss homework." he snickered.

"That or the library." Harry chuckled.

"Oh, how could I forget that?"

Hermione glared at the pair of them, "For your information, yes, I do miss the library. But I also miss my bed and the prefect's bathroom... and Hogsmeade weekends." She turned her head to look back at the rain, "I also miss lazy Sundays," the witch smiled, "when we would walk aimlessly around the grounds or when I would sit in the stands while the pair of you and Ginny would fly around on your brooms and go over quidditch strategies."

The tent went silent for a long while after that, the only sound to be heard were the leaves being pelted by the rain outside and the occasional battle cry from a chess piece as it went in for the kill.

The young witch thought more on what she missed and could say, without question, that she missed the structure. She missed having a set schedule that told her when to get up, where to be and when to be in bed. It sounded crazy, but she would give almost anything to have structure again.

"What do you miss least?" Ron asked after an undetermined amount of time. There was a beat before he and Harry said in unison, "Snape!"

Hermione closed her eyes and willed herself not to react.

"Greasy tosser,"

"Fucking Benedict Arnold!"

"Wha?" Ron looked up dubiously.

"It's a muggle term for traitor." Hermione said, trying not to sound on edge and angry, "American at that." She wanted so badly to crow in Ron and Harry's faces that Severus was not a traitor and was in fact the person who practically handed them the sword of Gryffindor as well as the person who cast the doe Patronus. (Still a topic of discussion between the boys)

Ron scoffed, "In order to be a traitor, he'd actually have to be on or side for a time, wouldn't he? He was never on the side of light. What a crock the 'double agent' bit was."

Harry nodded, "He was a double agent alright, for Voldemort and his Death Eating cronies. He killed Dumbledore without even batting an eye! I _HATE_ him!"

Hermione frowned as she shook her head, "No..."

"Dodgy little bleeder, I hope the professors revolt against him! I hope the house elves poison his food!" Ron spat.

"Stop it..." Hermione stared out at the rain as she felt tears prickle her eyes. She didn't want the visuals of Snape choking on his food in the Great Hall or him going up against the rest of the faculty, "...please."

"That would be poetic justice!" Harry laughed, "I hope McGonagall transfigures him into the cowardly rat that he is, turns into her animagus and then eats him!"

Hermione stood quickly and screamed, "STOP IT! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!"

Both boys stared slack-jawed at her for a brief moment.

Chest heaving, she was about to admonish them when, suddenly, their caterwauling charm sounded and all three of them froze.

"It can't be." Ron said in dismay, "Snatchers!"

Someone canceled the shrieking charm quickly so now all that was heard was the rain.

"Come out; come out, wherever you are." a rough voice called out.

The trio stood and Harry whispered, "They can't see us?"

"Not yet," the young witch whispered back hastily, "I cast the caterwaul twenty paces before the invisibility charm so we would have a bit of time. Hurry, out of the tent, you two," she gathered up her blanket as well as her beaded bag, "NOW!"

The boys pulled out their wands and ran out of the tent.

Hermione knew the dimwitted Snatchers made their position even before she heard the excited crow of one of them saying,

"There they are! Get them!"

With her bag in one hand and her wand in the other, Hermione threw her quilt in the bag and ran out of the tent to see Ron and Harry dueling four snatchers in the freezing downpour of rain. With a quick wave of her wand, their tent lifted into the air and plummeted into her bag. Clasping it shut, she shrunk her bag and shoved it in her pocket before helping her friends.

Bright flashes of light of every color -even green- where thrown between the trio and the snatchers,

Hermione managed to battle one of the snatchers to his knees before he disappeared with a crack. Frowning at the burly wizard being such a coward, the witch turned to help Harry. At least they only had two to contend with since one was stunned on the muddy ground.

That was until about a half dozen more cracks of apparition sounded and they found themselves up against eight dodgy wizard's pointing their wands and leering at them; two wore Death Eater masks.

There were times when you fought and times when you fled. Hermione was wise enough to see this as the point in time to run. She turned and bumped into Harry, "LET'S GO!" she grabbed for Ron's arm, "NOW! MOVE!"

In seconds, they were sprinting through the trees on slick, muddy ground.

Harry and Ron were faster than she but Hermione maneuvered nimbly around trees and uneven ground. Panting heavily, all she could hear was her heart beating in her ears and the shouts of the men chasing after them.

"This running won't help!" One voice said and it sounded too close for comfort.

Another voice -further away- laughed before saying in a sick, sing-song sort of way, "We're gonna getcha!"

A flash of orange light whizzed passed her left arm and just missed Harry's right leg.

Gritting her teeth, the young witch turned quickly to fling a curse of her own just before ducking under a branch. She was jumping overgrowth and tree roots like a muggle hurdler, all the while desperately praying that she didn't misstep on the saturated ground and end up with a face full of mud or up close and personal with a business end of a wand.

She couldn't see Ron and Harry as they all took slightly different routes to maneuver around obstacles but she knew they were close. Unfortunately, she could hear shouts and laughs from the Death Eaters and Snatchers and knew they were close as well.

Another flash of light soared past her, this time it was white and it hit a tree, leaving a smoldering black spot on its trunk.

She sent a hex flying behind her without really looking but hoping all the same that it nailed one of her lowly chasers.

"Hermione!" a breathless shout came from her right side but far in the distance. It sounded like Ron, "Hermione, where are you!" he sounded as if he'd stopped running.

Her lungs burned as she bobbed and weaved around more low lying branches, the uneven terrain becoming rougher because of an ever increasing slope. In her peripheral vision, in the distance, she saw multiple flashes of light being thrown to and fro. "RON!" she screamed and then heaved a breath to shout, "HARRY!"

"I've got you now, little girl..." a sinister albeit breathless voice huffed just behind her.

Spotting a fallen tree trunk in her immediate path, the bushy haired brunette made a split second decision and let her body fall limp just after hopping the hurdle. She stayed on the muddy forest floor long enough to have the three of her chasers hop the trunk and run past her. She jumped back to her feet and ran in the direction of all the flying lights, hoping that the reason her friends didn't answer her call was because they were busy kicking arse.

Suddenly the hexing stopped so she did as well. Hermione skidded to a halt behind a tree gnarled from hexes and tried to discern what was happening. She heard a breathless and angry voice shout, "Who are you, boy, and where are your friends?"

_Oh no, Ron!_

She peeked around the tree to see three black bodies strewn all over a small clearing, one standing and looming over a downed redhead.

"Stupid bastard, don't you know enough not to speak the Dark Lord's name." The masked figure laughed as he backhanded Ron across his face.

Hermione cursed herself._ Damn it! Harry said Vol-the Dark Lord's name! Severus had warned me, why hadn't I remembered to pass on the warning? Fuck! _

"No matter." the standing Death Eater said, "You led us right to you. We'll find the others." the hooded figure pointed his wand at Ron and in that instant many things happened at once,

Hermione cleared her hiding place and disarmed the Death Eater intent on harming Ron, a flash of light hit the tree trunk next to her and then searing pain hit her back and spread over her body. She fell to her knees as she fought to breathe. Her eyes locked on Ron who was battered and scrambling to get to his feet when he suddenly disappeared. There was no apparating 'pop', he was just gone.

_The invisibility cloak,_ Hermione thought briefly as she heard footsteps coming at her from behind, all the while gasping for breath. It felt like icy hands were around her throat.

_Harry's with Ron,_

Collapsing onto the ground, her eyes screwed shut as she was violently kicked in the back by a Death Eater; sending her rolling to her back.

The masked faces stared down at her and began to chuckle.

"Where did your friends go?"

Lack of oxygen had her sight tunneling and her hearing muffle. Hermione brought her hands to her throat in a vain attempt to pull off the nonexistent hands that were strangling her.

"Nott, you daft prick," a voice grumbled before shouting, "_Finite_."

Immediately, she felt her airways open. Hacking and gasping for air, the young witch wasn't paying attention to the argument going on above her.

"We're on orders to capture the little fuckwits alive and bring them directly to the Dark Lord… _alive_ shite for brains!" The same voice that canceled the curse growled, "What do you think would have happened to all of us if I let your fucking curse kill the little bitch? Our Lord told us only Potter and his followers were brave enough to use his name. That means this bint knows Potter... she may even know where he's hiding!"

"But Yaxley-"

"No buts, Nott!" Yaxley hissed.

"Hey, we will be getting paid for this witch, right?" A snatcher walked up to the hooded men, "I mean, we were the ones to come across them in the first place."

One of the masked men turned to the snatcher and asked, "Who is number two in your little gang?"

The snatcher called to –presumably- his second in command, "Braxton!"

Another snatcher walked up and the Death Eater shot a killing curse at the first snatcher before looking at the second.

"There, now you're number one. Make sure the rest of your little crew shows some respect to their superiors."

With their distraction, Hermione was able to reach for her wand and aim it at the Death Eaters, "_STUPEFY_!"

Both masked men went flying backwards.

Hermione scrambled off the ground and ran to the spot where she saw Ron disappear. Grabbing the fabric of the invisibility, the witch uncovered a shocking sight.

Ron was holding Harry, who had a large, jagged slash across his chest that was oozing blood, just as blood dripped from his mouth. He was conscious but only barely.

Gathering all her strength, Hermione clutched the cloak, Harry and Ron as she apparated them away.

**0o0o0o0**

Hermione landed unceremoniously on top of Ron as they appeared in a small forest clearing next to a pond. It was still raining but not nearly as hard as the place they had just left.

"Humph!"

"Oooo... Sorry, Ron." Hermione rolled off one friend to check the wellbeing of the other.

Harry was lying limply on the forest floor, partially in the pond.

"Harry?" Hermione moved to his side and saw that his eyes were open but distant.

The messy haired boy stared past his friend as he coughed and blood sputtered out of his mouth. The deep, jagged cut that ran from his left shoulder blade to just below his right ribcage was staining the rest of him with vital fluids.

"Harry, can you hear me?" Hermione quickly pulled out her bag, "_Engorgio_!" As soon as it was the proper size, she opened it and accio'd the dittany as well as the blood replenisher.

Ron dropped to Harry's other side. "What do you need me to do?" he asked the witch who was working hard to heal their friend.

"I need you to set up the tent and cast wards." Hermione dripped the dittany on Harry's cut after vanishing his shirt and casting a cleansing charm.

"But..." Ron looked on, "Mi, I'm not as good as you are with spe-"

"Ronald!" She commanded his attention, her exhaustion nipping at her heals and weighing down her body. She felt as if she was about to pass out but she was determined to help Harry as much as possible first. She locked eyes with the worried ginger-headed boy next to her, "You don't put proper stock in your abilities, you never have. Now listen to me and listen to me carefully, Ronald Weasley. You are a great wizard in possession of fine abilities. I need you to set up shelter and lay wards for our protection. Harry is going to need to rest and I'm afraid I'm physically and magically exhausted at the moment; I will probably pass out here soon." She heaved a deep breath and continued on, "Harry and I need you to be our protector for a while."

Ron gulped as he looked from her to Harry and back again.

"You can do this, Ron. I believe in you." She finished before turning all her attention back to Harry.

Standing shakily, Ron nodded to his friends, opened Hermione's bag and got to work.

As she tended to Harry, who now seemed to be looking at her now instead of through her, Hermione felt the tingle of wards being cast and smiled at their strength, "Good job, Ron." she whispered before looking down at the friend in her arms. "Now I need you to open up, Harry, I'm about to give you something for the pain."

After she ensured Harry would be fine once he got some rest, Hermione curled up next to him on the damp ground and let exhaustion guide her into the arms of Morpheus.

**0o0o0o0**

**More coming soon!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.**

**Thanks **_**Monkeywand**_** ;-P**

**Double thanks to everyone taking the time to read this fic!**

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Waking with a start, Hermione became aware of many things at once: First, she was no longer wet and lying on the forest floor, she was on her cot in the tent, covered by her patchwork Severus quilt. Secondly, it was no longer daylight. And thirdly, she felt as if she was going to vomit.

Sitting up, the witch pushed the feeling down and surveyed her surroundings to see that only she and Harry occupied the tent. She stood and went to her friend's side to see that he was shivering. Checking the feel of his skin for signs of fever, Hermione deduced that Harry was simply chilled and not ill. With a slight internal debate, she decided that her friend was in more need of her charmed blanket than she so she draped it over him and watched as he almost immediately stopped shivering while a small smile curved his lips.

That made Hermione smile._ If only he knew he was smiling from something of Snape's._

Searching her bag for warmer clothes, the witch changed and then went in search of Ron.

She didn't have to look far, for as soon as she stepped out of the tent, she saw Ron huddled next to a small camp fire; looking through a quidditch magazine, no doubt. Hermione made her way to him, "Hey, Ron." she half whispered her greeting.

He looked up quickly before giving her a crooked smile, "Hey, Mione. How are you feeling?"

She sat down next to him, "Not as if I'm going to fall over from exhaustion anymore, I'll tell you that." She looked around to see that it was still slightly light out. "What time is it?"

"Half seven," Ron yawned.

Hermione scrunched her nose, "At night?" _That would mean I slept about three hours._

"No, morning,"

_Oh...that means I've been asleep..._ She gasped, "Oh my god! Ron, I've been asleep for fifteen hours? That means you've been up for...Holy crickets! Ron you have to be dead on your feet! You should go to bed. I'll take watch." She looked at the dark circles around her friend's eyes. "Why didn't you wake me?"

The redhead shook his head, "I didn't want to disrupt your sleep," he paused and looked into the fire. "I didn't want to let you down."

"Let me down?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"What you said to me," Ron paused, "about believing in me, needing me. You know, to watch over things while you and Harry recuperated?" He swallowed thickly, "It, uh, it meant a lot. I-I didn't want to let you down."

"Oh, Ron," Hermione pulled him into a hug and softly spoke, "I meant every word of it." she pulled away and brushed away his red locks from his forehead, "Now, you'd better get to bed before you become ill from lack of sleep."

Ron nodded and stood, "I am a bit tired. Wake me when food is on?"

She laughed, "Of course, wouldn't want you missing a meal or anything." She was shocked when he leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Night, Hermione."

Watching as Ron headed for the tent, Hermione wondered if that was a friendly kiss or something more. She knew Harry had talked to him about easing off of her but she hoped that her words or actions hadn't spurred anything on with him again.

Heaving a sigh, Hermione stared into the dancing flames and wrapped her arms around herself as she pretended they were someone else's.

_I wonder what he's doing right now, does he know about our almost capture? Is Vol-the Dark Lord angry that we slipped away? Is he taking his anger out on the Death Eaters responsible or all of them as a whole? _

She gasped as she thought something almost blasphemous.

_I hope he isn't punishing all of the Death Eaters for the mistakes of two...if he is punishing at all._

Not that she gave a niffler's arse about any of the other people carrying the Dark Mark. Her only concern in that area was Severus. Yes, he was still very much a part of her thoughts -as foolhardy as it probably was- she still held out hope of them coming back together someday. Fantasies of them both surviving and running into each other's arms; him accepting her readily and agreeing to move forward into a relationship. It was sheer madness in the recesses of her mind and she knew it. She was a dizzy cow for even entertaining an inkling of a notion.

_Speaking of dizzy... _

The nausea she had pushed away upon waking seemed to be returning. Hermione took deep, deliberate breaths to calm herself but all too suddenly, the need to retch took hold and she barely turned in time to escape covering herself in her own sickness.

"Yuck!" She said to herself when she regained control of her up-chuck reflex. Her eyes went to the tent, hoping that her friends hadn't seen that; it was so un-lady like. Although the witch wasn't a posh socialite, she was indeed a young lady with manners. If any guy had seen her sick, it would have been cripplingly embarrassing.

_Stay down, stay down, stay down..._ She inwardly chanted to her roiling stomach, not really worried about summoning her bag for any medicine; she doubted she was becoming ill. It was a well known fact that whenever a witch or wizard exhausted themselves magically, their body reacted negatively to the depletion.

_Apparating Ron, Harry and I away from the Death Eaters must have taken more out of me than I thought._

Pulling out her wand, the witch pointed it at the soiled leaves next to her and vanished her sickness away before performing a _scourgify_ on her mouth -It didn't beat a toothbrush and floss, but it would do for the time being- then she summoned a goblet and filled it with water before picking up the magazine Ron left behind.

_Yes, quidditch._ She frowned in distaste before flipping through it. _It's not like I have anything better to do at the moment._ She sipped on the water.

**0o0o0o0**

It was well after eleven on this particularly beautiful, sunny Friday when Hermione heard talking in the tent. She smiled and stood from her place near the fire to go check on Harry. As she entered the tent, however, her smile disintegrated as she saw Ron and Harry playing tug-a-war with her blanket. Her _Severus_ blanket!

"Harry, are you barking? This blanket does not smell like my sister, it smells like Mione!" Ron, clad in only a pair of denims tugged on the patchwork quilt.

Harry, who was also shirtless and looking a good deal better than when she'd last seen him, held tight to the fabric from his spot on his cot, "Mione doesn't smell of citrus and honey!" he pulled at the quilt, "Which is exactly what this blanket smells like... distinctly _my_ Ginny!"

"_Your_ Ginny? Don't call _my_ sister that, Harry!" Ron frowned as he yanked the quilt, "And this does _not _smell like citrus and honey, it smells of hazelnuts, vanilla and parchment..._distinctly _Hermione!"

Hermione rushed to the boys and yanked her quilt out of their grasp, "STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!" Her eyes searched the quilt for any sign of tearing before she wrapped it protectively around her.

_Spearmint, fire whisky, cedar and parchment! _She identified as she inhaled the scent of her blanket. _Distinctly Snape!_

Frowning at the boys, she asked shrilly, "Just what in the bloody hell do you two think you were doing! You could have ruined my blanket!"

Both Harry and Ron looked duly chastised as they bowed their heads, "Sorry, Hermione." both of them said together before Ron looked up,

"But what do you smell on that thing? Who does it remind you of?"

_Right, like I'm going to tell you!_ Hermione thought even as her brilliant mind was putting the pieces together, "I smell Spearmint, Earl Gray and...Chanel No.5," She looked at both wizards before finishing, "in short, I smell scents that remind me of my parents. My blanket, It's charmed to keep you warm as well as smell like what or who you miss most," Her eyes went to Ron who's ears were burning red, "In one way or another, anyway." Suddenly, she felt like a horrible daughter for not actually missing her parents most. "So yes, Harry, It could smell like Ginny to you." She smiled faintly, "That's probably why you were grinning as soon as I threw it over you. How are you feeling?"

"Loads better, thanks." He smiled, "That's some quilt. Where did you get it? Why haven't we seen it before now... this journey, I mean?"

"And why is it the color of Slytherin?" Ron huffed.

"Um, my mum made it and I charmed it. You haven't seen it before because you've never been allowed into my dorm room." she lied and was horrified with how much easier it was becoming. "And both of you know that green has always been my favorite color, regardless of what house it represents."

Ron and Harry nodded but then the redhead frowned deeply,

"And why is it you gave a blanket you are so inseparable from to Harry when he's recovering?" his tone was accusing, "Why didn't you give it to me after I splinched?"

She frowned and lied again, "Because I'd forgotten I'd had it. There are quite a lot of things in my bag after all. I hadn't remembered I'd had it until that night I went into the pond I searched for something that would keep me warm."

"And you haven't let it go since," Ron mumbled, "except to give it to him."

"Not this again, Ron, seriously," Hermione sighed, "I gave it to Harry because I woke up and he was shivering in his sleep, that's all."

"Yeah mate, I said the blanket smelt like Ginny, not Mi. That should be a clear indicator that while I love Hermione," Harry explained as he scratched his stubbled face, "My heart and mind are somewhere else entirely."

Ron harrumphed, "Yeah, well... Is breakfast on?"

**0o0o0o0**

Harry, although better, was still a bit weak and spent most of the day sleeping. Apparently, as well as the deep gash he had received, one of the Death Eaters cast a magic rending spell that basically leeched off Harry's magic. That was until Ron broke the connection by pummeling the Death Eater and throwing the invisibility cloak over Harry. That was about the time Hermione happened upon the scene.

The magic rending spell wasn't permanent but it took a lot out of Harry all the same. He ate breakfast or, more aptly, brunch with them only to almost instantly revisit it.

Hermione made sure she ate light and sipped lots of tea to avoid the same fate. Though, she almost had when she watched Ron shovel his food into his mouth.

Needless to say, they weren't moving camp for another day at least. So after brunch, Hermione shooed both boys back to bed; Harry because he needed it and Ron because he would be a grouchy prat if he didn't get more rest.

After they were both on their cots, groaning like petulant children, Hermione went back outside and made herself comfortable against a tree while she pulled out _The Healer's Helpmate _for a bit of light reading. Being the designated medi-witch of the group, it was only responsible of her to read up on the best way to heal her fellow runaways.

And so she sat comfortably for about two hours and enjoyed the clear, sunny day with a cool breeze as she read her book and surveyed the forest around them until Harry flew out of the tent and retched near the entrance.

Standing, Hermione vanished the sickness as Harry smiled weakly at her.

"Sorry."

"For what? It isn't your fault, it's natural."

He nodded and gratefully took the goblet of water Hermione had offered him before following her to sit where she had abandoned her book.

"You really should get back to bed." Hermione picked up her medical tome again.

"I will, in a bit. What time is it?"

"Just after two,"

Harry looked around; "Hmm." was his only reply as his brow furrowed. "Hey, this place looks familiar."

"It should."

He looked around a bit more before turning to his friend, "The Forest of Dean, Mi? What is it with you and this place? You brought me here the last time I was injured."

Hermione blushed, "It just, popped into my head." for reasons she wasn't about to voice. In truth, she felt safe in this forest. It was foolish thinking of course but this forest -this very spot actually- was where she was with Snape and now her subconscious regarded it as a safe spot. Shaking the thought from her mind, she asked, "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, actually, but I don't want to feel sick again."

"I have some crackers that you can have with tea." She offered as she reached into her beaded bag. "I wish I had some chocolate; that would put you to rights much faster."

The two friends sat in companionable silence for a long while as Harry sipped on tea and nibbled on crackers until he broke the silence once more.

"Fair warning, Mione, um, I think whatever it was that you said to Ron yesterday..." He cleared his throat, "Um, well, I think it's spurred him on a bit...regarding you, that is."

Hermione sighed, "I was afraid of that. This is such a mess, Harry. I can't be nice to him without him thinking I'm interested, which only gets me angry and has me shouting at him." She frowned but some might have thought it was a pout. "I just want things to go back to the way they were; before there were any crushes...when we were just friends. It was just so much easier."

Harry put his arm around her and nodded, "I'd imagine it would be. Look, I'll talk to him again. See if I can make him understand friendly words don't mean you want to snog."

Laughing, Hermione nodded her head, "Thank you, Harry." Watching him yawn, she lightly pushed him away, "You'd better get back to bed."

"Alright," He stood, "um, could I borrow your blanket again. It will be the last time, it's just, it gave me good dreams..."

"Dreams of a certain redhead?"

His cheeks turned pink.

"Alright, but I'll be taking it back when I finally go to bed."

Nodding, Harry smiled, "Fair enough. Night, Mi."

"Goodnight, Harry." Hermione turned back to her book and continued to read.

It was nearly six and the sun was almost set when the witch decided to gather more wood to stoke the fire.

There were a lot of dried, fallen branches around the pond; the same pond she had found the sword of Gryffindor.

She closed her eyes as memories of that night invaded her mind. She let them linger for a moment before pushing them away.

Opening her eyes again, the witch gathered the branches and brought them back to the fire, where she sat back down.

_It all seems so unfair, _she thought to herself, _if we were never meant to be, why bring us together like that for only one night?_

Hermione didn't know to whom she was asking these questions. Maybe it was directed to the fates, although she had great difficulty believing in anything of that nature.

One thing was beginning to show itself to her with ever growing clarity, though. She was becoming more certain with each passing day that the feelings she felt for the dark wizard; feelings that were growing rather than diminishing over time, were feelings of...love.

Frowning at the dancing flames of the fire, Hermione felt overwhelming anger; sadness and fear fill her as she thought of the injustice of it all.

Shaking her head again, Hermione realized she was thinking herself into a headache. She began to do something that had always helped her in these times.

She began singing.

"I pretend that I'm glad you went away, these four walls are closin' more every day...and I'm dying inside...and nobody knows it but me." She stared at the flames, "Like a clown I put on a show, the pain is real even if nobody knows...and I'm cryin' inside...and nobody knows it but me..."

Hermione's voice cracked slightly as unshed tears blurred her vision. "Why didn't I say, the things I needed to say. How could I let my angel get away? Now my world is just a tumblin' down...I can say it so clearly, but you're nowhere around..."

She brought her knees up so she could rest her chin on them as a tear escaped her right eye, "The nights are lonely, the days are so sad...and I just keep thinkin' 'bout the love that we had..." The witch swallowed thickly, "And I'm missin' you...and nobody knows it but me..."

Wiping the wetness trickling down her check on her knee, Hermione swallowed again as she forced herself to keep from breaking down and sobbing like she so desperately wanted.

"Everything alright, Mione?"

She jumped and turned to see Ron approaching her.

_Great!_ She thought to herself as she wiped her eyes quickly, "Yes, everything's fine Ron." She cleared her throat and moved them away from questions about her. "How did you sleep?"

Plunking down next to her, the redhead nodded, "Well enough. Would have slept longer, I think but-" Just then, his stomach growled and he blushed, "seems I'm a bit hungry."

Smiling, Hermione went about making up some dinner for them. She made Ron a baked potato while she settled on a simple cheese sandwich. It was amazing how long food would keep under stasis charms.

"That song you were singing earlier," Ron spoke in between bites of his dinner, "what was it? I mean, I've never heard it before."

_Damn it!_ Hermione took a deep breath and sipped on her tea, "I'm not surprised; you aren't exactly into music of any sort. But that was just a muggle song I heard over the radio a bunch of times the summer before sixth year."

"You like music, Mi? I mean other than that Beethoven bloke you listen to when you play the piano?"

Nodding, Hermione answered, "I like all sorts of music."

Ron nodded, "You have a beautiful voice."

She scoffed, "And you are sorely mistaken."

"No I'm not," he grinned, "you can really sing, Mi."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree, then."

"Were you singing that to anyone in particular?"

Hermione thought about how to answer. _Maybe if Ron knew I had feelings for another, he would let his fantasies of us go._ "Uh...as a matter of fact, yes, I was." The way he grinned lopsidedly at her had Hermione worried.

"I knew it," the redhead shifted a bit closer to the witch, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Confused, Hermione queried, "Tell you what?"

His grin only got wider, "Is that how you want to play it, then?"

"Play what?"

Shaking his head, Ron turned to finish his dinner.

The witch watched him warily as he gulped down his tea and scougified his plate.

"Tomorrow's February fourteenth."

"And?" Hermione was lost on the significance of that date.

"And," Ron shifted even closer to his friend, "what do you say to being my Valentine?"

Hermione's eyes went wide. _Is he serious, even after I all but confessed I had feelings for someone else? Awkward._ She smiled weakly and shook her head, "Ron, I don't think that's the best idea. We're friends..." she frantically grasped for more reasons, "...we're on the run...Harry-"

"Awe, so you're worried about Harry?" Ron grinned, "Him feeling left out or whatever? Okay, I get it. I'll keep it quiet."

"Keep what quiet?" Hermione shook her head and stood, "I think I'm a bit too tired to follow this conversation," She frowned, "Will you be alright to keep watch?" she almost wanted to check his temperature.

"Of course," Ron continued to smile at the retreating witch.

"Alright, well... goodnight, then." Hermione turned and moved to the tent as she pondered her odd conversation with her ginger-headed friend. Concluding that she must be too tired to grasp onto whatever happened between them in that short span of time, Hermione made sure Harry was asleep before changing into something a bit more comfortable to sleep in than her denims.

Taking her blanket and covering Harry with one of his own, the witch cocooned herself in the warmth and scent of a certain dark wizard before drifting almost immediately to sleep.

**0o0o0o0**

**Song in this chapter is 'Nobody Knows' by The Tony Rich Project.**

**More coming soon!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.**

_**Monkeywand**_**, you blind me with your awesomeness!**

**To all you readers and reviewers out there, I luv you! Yes, you! ;-P**

**Right… On with the story!**

****0o0o0o0**  
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"Mi..."

In the distance, the young witch heard someone calling her name but she was too comfortable drifting in her own dream world where there was no hate, no suffering and no war to be bothered with identifying the intruder.

"Mione..."

The voice was getting closer and her dream world was slipping away.

"Hermione!"

The witch jumped slightly as her eyes flew open, disoriented from sleep. "What?" she rubbed her eyes and looked around to see the tent was dark except for the lantern lit at the table. Ron was kneeling next to her cot, "What's happened?" her heart sped, "Where's Harry?"

Ron smiled, "Harry's fine. He woke up an hour ago and went to the pond to bathe before taking watch. I thought we could use a bit of privacy."

"Oh," the witch sat up and rubbed her eyes again, "What time is it? Why did you wake me?"

"It's midnight," the redhead grinned, "and I woke you up to wish you a happy Valentine's Day."

Hermione froze. _Was this pillock serious?_ "You woke me up, out of a deep sleep, at midnight...to wish me happy Valentine's Day?"

Ron nodded happily with a stupid smile on his face as he pulled a bouquet of wild flowers from behind his back with his right hand and a single, wrapped chocolate frog was in his left.

Pissed off, shocked and somewhat flattered, Hermione just sat there; staring.

"I worked for hours trying to get the charm right. Would have gone all about the forest to pick them for you...you know, if they were in bloom," he handed the object of his affection the wild flowers and then presented the chocolate frog box. "I got this back when...well, I left. I know it's not much but..."

After a long, long pause, Hermione found her voice, "Ron...I-I'm flattered, really I am but..." She looked at the flowers and the frog box and wondered where this romantic side was back when she actually had feelings for him, "But we're just friends. We already talked about this. We're friends, but no more."

He chuckled, "You don't mean that. You told me yourself...at dinner."

Hermione frowned, "No I didn't."

"Yes you_ did_," he smiled and rested his right hand on her knee, "I should have put two and two together sooner, really; what with all the quiet tears and you clinging to your blanket. Oh, and let's not forget all the sad little love songs you sing when you think no one's around."

Moving her knee so Ron's hand was no longer on it, the witch shook her head, "I don't know what you think you've seen but-"

"No, love, don't deny it!" he shuffled closer to her, "I saw the way you hesitated when I asked you about what you smelt on your blanket, you were lying. You just didn't want us to know you really smell me..."

Hermione blinked owlishly.

"...the tears you've shed and the sad songs you've sung, they're all for me." Ron smirked, "and I get it now. You want to be with me but don't feel you can-"

At that, Hermione protested, knowing she had to stop Ron before he headed too far down this insane avenue of thinking. "No! _No_, Ron, you misunderstand-"

"I don't think I do, love," he interrupted her, "you want to be with me but you feel you can't because you're afraid I'm just going to abandon you again-"

"_What_? No-"

"Sh, sh, sh, Mi, you don't have to deny it anymore. I know I still have a ways to go to prove myself to you but I want to tell you right now that I'm never, ever going to abandon you again." the redhead moved to frame the witch's face but she pulled away and scrambled to stand.

"For fuck's sake, Ron, stop it! I am not denying anything," Hermione moved to put some distance between them; her stomach still roiling in a mixture of anxiousness and anger. "What I told you the night you came back, that night back in December, it still stands. I love you, Ron, dearly, but only as a _friend_."

Standing, Ron frowned, "Then why did you hug me...let me kiss you...tell me you sang that song for me?"

"I did _NOT _tell you I sang that song for you, Ronald! I said I sang it for someone 'in particular'!" Hermione gestured wildly with her hands, "We used to hug all the time before we had any attraction between us...and even then! I didn't know you'd take it as some sign that I want you!"

But Ron was still stuck on her previous statement. "But...what you sang was a love song...a sad love song," his face suddenly twisted with rage, "If you weren't singing that song for me, Hermione, who in the fuck were you singing it for?" He shook his head, "I knew I shouldn't have believed anything you and Harry were saying about just being friends! Giving him your blanket...him telling me to lay off of you! I'm gonna _kill_ him!"

Hermione stepped in his way and pushed him back, "Would you stop thinking that Harry and I are lovers! It's maddening, not to mention disturbing on an almost incestuous level!" the witch spat. "Harry and I are not, never have been and never_ will _be anything more than best friends!" she roared with frustration, "That song I sang before dinner was for someone else! Someone I care for deeply...someone I… I think I love." Hermione went silent as she took in what she had said with a fair amount of shock.

The tent was uncomfortably silent for a long length of time.

"You...love someone else?" Ron looked torn between wanting to hex her and wanting to cry.

Squaring her shoulders, the witch nodded, "Yes."

"And it's not Harry?"

"No."

"Then who is it?"

She stayed silent.

"Hermione, who the bloody fuck is it," he took a step towards her.

The witch shook her head, "I'd rather not say."

"TELL ME! I deserve to know!" the redhead shouted. "Were you with him when I left...Were you with him before, when you and me were-"

"THAT IS WHERE YOU SEEM TO BE HAVING TROUBLE, RON! THERE WAS NEVER A YOU AND ME...EVER!" Hermione screamed and shook her head, "No matter how much I wanted it once upon a time." The witch crossed her arms, "I'm not telling you or Harry or anyone else who he is because until this war is over and we can stop running, it doesn't matter who he is."

Ron looked broken and righteously angry all at once. "Why him, whoever the wanker is?" his voice cracked, "Where is he? If he loved you, Hermione, he'd be right here with you." He took another step towards the witch, "But _I'm_ right here, Mi. I can love you, protect you...be right here for you always." a tear slipped from his eye.

Before Hermione could respond, Ron framed her face with his hands and pulled her into a kiss. Once the moment of shock wore off, she moved her hands between them to lay flat on Ron's chest as she tried to push him away; her stomach suddenly twisting again. Finally, with one hard push, she shoved Ron away.

What followed next may have been cripplingly embarrassing if the witch was in any frame of mind to care.

Immediately after she and Ron broke away, Hermione vomited all over the redhead's shoes.

Ron looked horrified as he lifted his soiled shoes from the puddle of sickness on the floor. "WHAT THE FUCK?"

Daintily wiping her mouth with her right hand while her left clutched her unsettled stomach, Hermione stated with an angry tone, "_That_ is what you get for forcing a kiss on me, you git!"

His mouth opened and closed like a fish before he said with a fair amount of hurt tingeing his voice, "I disgust you _that_ much?"

"No-"

"Can't stand the thought of me romantically… I sicken you so much; you throw up all over me for kissing you?"

Not at all in the mood to soothe his hurt or assuage her guilt, Hermione sighed, "Can we have this conversation later, like when the sun is up?

"NO, YOU FRIGID LITTLE BITCH!" Ron roared, "I want to know who you've been whoring around with and I want a fucking apology for retching on me!"

Hermione jumped but her eyes quickly narrowed. "Get. Out… Get out of here, Ron before I reach my wand!" she made for her cot while Ron took heed and made for the exit, but not before mumbling.

"Stupid PMSing slut?"

Wand in hand, Hermione turned around and made her way to the entrance of the tent. "RON! I DARE YOU TO SAY THAT TO MY FACE!" she glanced over to a thoroughly bewildered Harry as he stood and took in the sight of his two friends. "Retching all over you is not the worst I can do. If you even _attempt _to set foot in this tent tonight, I will tie you up to the nearest tree and use you for target practice!" With that, Hermione used her wand to seal the entrance to the tent so it could not be separated, cast a silencing charm on the tent, vanished her sickness from the floor and walked back to her cot in a huff.

**0o0o0o0**

Sitting upon her cot more than an hour later, the witch muttered angrily to herself as she finally vanished the wild flowers and ate the chocolate frog, "I cannot believe the gall...the nerve...the ugh!" she couldn't even come up with words to describe Ron's actions. Yes, vomiting on him was a bit much but he shouldn't have forced a kiss on her. It wasn't her fault retching was a largely involuntary reflex.

"Frigid bitch, whore, slut...PMSing...that's rich...and incredibly overused. He should just wait until I really am PMS..."

Suddenly, the witch froze as her mind quickly thought back to the last time she'd had her period.

"Oh no..." She stood quickly and began to pace, "Oh nononononono..." Hermione made her way to the table and sat dejectedly as the last time she had a menstrual cycle came to her. "November," she whispered absently, "the end of November."

Due to the stress and strain she'd been put under since they've been on the run, Hermione's menstrual cycles have been erratic at best. But never had it ever been this far apart.

"Th-the vomiting, the tiredness, the moodiness..." She stood again and fumbled for her bag and accio'd _The Healer's Helpmate _before quickly flipping the pages to the chapter on female hygiene and health; reading at a fevered pace to find the spell she'd only skimmed over earlier that day.

The wand movement was slightly intricate but, if done right, the spell would tell her all she needed to know.

Standing next to her cot, Hermione nibbled her lower lip and took several shaky breaths before doing what needed to be done. Raising her wand, the young witch waved it in an intricate series of connected, tight circles before speaking the incantation, "_Esse__gravidam._ "

Her stomach glowed a silvery color before white writing formed in the air in front of her.

_**Positive.**_

The young witch stared at the white illuminated word until it faded away.

_Positive...I...I-I'm pregnant..._ She dropped back down to her cot, in shock before turning back to the medical tome and skimming for another spell. "Nothing..." the medical book didn't have the type of spell she was looking for which was one that would tell her the health of her baby.

Slamming the book shut, Hermione covered her face with her hands and allowed herself to vent the overwhelming mixture of emotions roiling inside of her.

_I'm pregnant...pregnant with his baby..._ Hermione let out a strangled sob. _Pregnant with his baby in the middle of a war that neither of us is likely to survive..._

It took hours of leaking her sorrow before her other emotions had leave to show themselves.

Lying on her cot with bloodshot, puffy eyes, the witch stared down at her flat stomach before mumbling, "Well...fuck me." Hermione chuckled humorlessly, "No, that's what got you _into_ this mess!"

She thought back to that night and fisted her hands repeatedly. "With all the potions he had with him, you would think he would have shoved a contraceptive potion under my nose!" Getting up, she paced back and forth as she laughed again, "This is almost comical, the git practically had a whole potions store room in his robes and he didn't give me a contraceptive potion." she stopped suddenly as her heart about plummeted, "What if that was the plan."

For weeks, Hermione had been trying not to dwell over the possible 'whys' in which Snape let things go as far as they did that night. After all, before that, she'd thought he'd hated her. Even now, Hermione didn't know his feelings at all.

"Fucking git!" Tears began to leak from her eyes even as her face twisted with anger, "That slimy fucking snake! I bet this was on purpose...I'll _KILL _him if this was on purpose!"

_He _had_ been resigned in not surviving the war. Maybe this was some convoluted attempt to have a piece of him live on,_ Hermione thought as she dropped back onto her cot and stared up at the canvas ceiling. "Without even consulting me." her right hand came up to rub her flat stomach, "Not that my mind was on contraception. I mean it took me this long to figure out that I'm pregnant."

Pushing her anger aside, Hermione took a moment to think rationally. "If Snape had done this to me on purpose as a means to live on in some way, it was stupidly selfish, entirely Slytherin," she paused, "and...perversely sweet," She shook her head in frustration at the last word. "But if I, the female, was not even thinking of contraception, I doubt he was." After a moment, she asked no one in particular, "Could he really be that twisted?" Rolling her eyes, she answered herself, "Probably."

Extinguishing what little light there was coming from the lantern on the table; Hermione covered herself up with her quilt and put her hands on her tummy while she thought about this drastic change in her life. "Don't worry, little one," she whispered, finally acknowledging the life inside of her, "I will make sure nothing happens to you. None of this is your fault and once I see your father, I will take great pleasure in hexing him into a eunuch."

With her last words bringing her some calm and a bit of a smile, Hermione closed her eyes and whispered, "Happy Valentine's day, little one."

**0o0o0o0**

Hermione awoke unable to open her eyes for they were swollen and matted shut by the dried goo that always came after crying for hours and then falling asleep. With a resigned sigh, she groped around for her wand and cast a quick _aguamenti_ on her face so she could work her eyelids apart.

After that task was done, the witch sat up and summoned a mirror before cringing at what she saw. She looked down at her stomach and smiled slightly, "Good morning, little one. Your mummy looks a fright at the moment," her eyes traveled back to the mirror, "and is in need of one hell of a glamour."

Usually, Hermione was not so vain or so shallow as to believe she should ever have to rely on a glamour charm. In fact, she hated them because she felt it was a charm that promoted and perpetuated the epitome of 'fake'. No, she hated glamours but she would be damned if she would show her swollen, bloodshot eyes to Ron. He would most likely think he was the cause of her tears and the last thing she wanted was for him to believe he had such power over her. And since she wasn't at all ready to let the boys know the real source of her tears, a glamour charm seemed the only viable option.

Standing, the witch spoke to her tummy again, "It's not that mummy is ashamed of you, I could never be ashamed of you, but mummy's friends wouldn't understand and I haven't the patience to try and explain." She went silent with thought for a moment before pointing out, "They would probably treat me like shit… Or like some fragile porcelain doll and I'll not have any of that. No, little one, you'll be my little secret for now." That said, Hermione turned back to the mirror and pointed her wand at her puffy eyes, "_Oculous Pulchritudo_!"

Instantly, the red in her eyes receded as the swelling of her eyelids disappeared and the dark circles around her eyes faded into nonexistence. She looked rested and -best of all- like she hadn't been crying for most of the night.

Satisfied with what she saw, Hermione banished the mirror to her bag and busied herself with getting dressed.

Once she was all put together, the witch took a deep breath and squared her shoulders before canceling her sealing and silencing charms on the tent; stepping out to the bright, albeit chilly morning. What she saw had her blinking owlishly.

Sitting next to the fire on opposite sides, where two very battered and bruised boys.

"Harry...? Ron...?"

The redhead turned and sneered at her, sporting a split lip and black eye, "About bloody time!" He stood and walked passed her into the tent.

Wearing only his denims, Hermione could see all the bruises present and forming on his pale torso. Frowning, she turned back to an equally battered Harry. "What in the hell happened?"

Harry smiled as much as his swollen cheek would allow him. "Morning, Mione."

"Harry!"

He heaved a sigh and shrugged, "We got into it after you kicked him out of the tent."

Hermione walked over to him and sat down.

"He told me what happened...what you did," he smirked crookedly before it faded at his next words, "and what he called you." He shrugged again, "What can I say? Yelling turned into shoving and shoving turned into...this." he gestured to his bruised body.

"Oh, Harry, you shouldn't have bothered. Do you need any pain potion?"

He nodded reluctantly, "Especially if we're moving camp today. I suspect Ron will need some too but you best just give it to me to give to him. He is still sore...you know, emotionally."

Hermione nodded as she summoned the pain potion and handed the entire beaker to Harry.

"So," Harry uncorked the container and took a sip, "you're in love with another." He sealed the beaker again. "Don't suppose you'll tell me who the lucky bloke is, will you?"

Shaking her head, she went about getting breakfast started. "No Harry. I really don't like keeping anything from you and Ron but I just don't see the relevance of you knowing who he is until the war is over."

"Why?"

She was quiet as she focused on her task for a moment, "Because we are at war and on the run. At the moment, there can't be anything between me and..._Him_,"

Harry seemed to accept her answer, "But, you'll tell us eventually, right? Say at the celebration after we've defeated old Vol-"

Hermione flew to clamp her hand around Harry's mouth "Never..." she hissed, "Never say that name, Harry." When he struggled to free his mouth, the witch shook her head. "I know you think it's just a name, Harry. But it's not. It carries a curse on it. That is how those snatchers and Death Eaters found us the other day. His name carries some sort of tracking charm on it." When Harry seemed to relax, she let him go.

"Sorry," He rubbed his face, "That must be new."

Hermione only nodded.

"How do you know that?"

"Um…I-I…I was told."

"Aw, by your boyfriend?"

Hermione fought her blush as her voice turned a bit shrill. "He is not my boyfriend, Harry! And, yes, _he_ told me."

"How?"

The witch didn't answer.

"Right…"

Silence descended upon both of them for a moment before Harry asked,

"Is your bloke anyone I know?"

Laughing, Hermione nodded.

"And you'll tell us?"

"Trust me, Harry; sooner or later I'll have no choice but to tell you. Until that time, though, can we keep off the subject?"

He nodded as his friend passed him some toast and tea, "Alright."

Hermione had just poured some cereal and transfigured the water into milk when the frowning ginger-head stalked over to them. She wordlessly handed him his porridge and tea.

They all ate in silence until Harry cleared his throat, "I think we should apparate north, you know," He handed Ron the beaker of pain potion. "Like Manchester or Sutherland. Those are muggle populated areas and we've already figured staying around muggles keeps things quiet for us the longest." He looked apologetically at Hermione, "And as much as I like this forest, Mi, I don't think it would be wise for us to visit here again."

She nodded as she finished her cereal.

"Must be where her mystery man took her once," Ron said acidly as he sealed the beaker again.

"Ron." Harry warned.

"Have a nice little picnic and shag session with him here, then?" the redhead ignored Harry's warning.

Hermione cleaned her bowl before standing, "I'll get the tent, shall I?" She ignored Ron, "Harry, if you could clean and put away the dishes. Ron, if you could manage to be a mature adult today, it would be greatly appreciated." She walked off.

"Yeah, like I'm about to- umpf!"

"Shut up, Ron!" Harry shouted.

Not even looking back, Hermione rolled her eyes.

**0o0o0o0**

That evening, the trio made camp in Northumberland National Park; another muggle park that they felt was largely unknown or forgotten by the wizarding world.

It had been a long day. Since they didn't want to leave any magical signatures, they apparated to Newcastle and then hiked to the park.

Twelve and a half hours later, Hermione couldn't be happier to sit down, even if it was on a mound of dirt with pine needles sticking into her arse and legs.

"I'll get the wards," Harry wiped the sweat from his brow, "Ron; you want to get the tent?"

He leaned against a tree and frowned, "Why can't she do it?"

Hermione frowned as Harry turned to his redheaded friend. "She probably can, but I asked you. She's tired and it's the gentlemanly thing to do."

"And why should I be a gentleman to a little-"

"RON!"

"That's fine, Harry." Hermione stood and brushed herself off, "I'll just do it because sitting here and listening to Ronald whine is about as appealing as playing leapfrog with a unicorn."

"Yeah," Ron plopped down on the ground, "Like a unicorn would come anywhere _near_ you."

"RON!" Harry shouted again after casting a muggle repelling charm.

"Ron, don't piss me off today, I'll have to find a place to stash your body and I really can't be bothered at the moment." Hermione said as she summoned the tent and began walking away to set it up on level ground.

"Oh, leaving so soon? I was just about to poison the tea..." the redhead mumbled.

Hermione turned around and dropped the tent to storm over to Ron. "Okay, what in the hell is it, Ron? Why are you so bent out of shape?" she shouted, "If it's because I vomited on you, I apologize truly, but it's not as if I did it on purpose. If it's because I have feelings for another, than I don't know what to tell you because I sure as hell am not going to apologize for it!"

"Why am _I _bent out of shape?" he stood as he thundered, "I kissed you and your reaction was to retch all over me, like me kissing you was so repulsive!

"It wasn't you, it was just bad timing!"

"Do you know how damaging that is to a bloke?" He shouted, "Especially me, Mione? I love you."

Hermione took a deep breath and forced a clam tone. "No, Ron, you don't." she held up a hand at his protesting mumbles, "As a friend, I have no doubt that you love me. But in a romantic sense, Ron? I think it's just misplaced affection or something. I mean, think about it, why did you come back so set on us being together after you'd left?"

Ron frowned as he thought about it and eventually mumbled, "I...I thought that's what you wanted." He scrubbed his face with his hands and elaborated, "I knew you had a crush on me for some time. When I came back...I-I was so determined for the both of you not to be angry at me that I was ready for a relationship. I just needed the opportunity to find you two again." he shook his head, "When you told me there would never be more than friendship between us, I felt rejected. It hurt. I just assumed that it was because I really wanted to be with you."

Hermione shook her head. "Ron, that isn't love."

He nodded, "I know." then he looked at her, "How would you know you what love is, though? How do you know you love mystery man?"

"Honestly, I don't." the witch confessed. "I've never been in love before, but what I feel for him is stronger than anything I've ever felt for another...romantically, that is."

"And does he love you?" Ron asked with a hint of hostility in his voice.

Hermione shrugged, "I don't know." _Not likely,_ she thought.

The redhead grunted before tunneling a hand through his hair. "I… I don't like that you have feelings for another, but I guess I'll just have to get over it." he said honestly. "I care for you a lot, Mi, and I don't think I'll ever be okay with you being with another bloke; no matter what was or wasn't between us...but, I'm sorry for everything I've called you today...and for the way I've been acting."

Smiling, Hermione nodded, "Apology accepted."

Ron looked shocked. "Really? Wow that was easy."

"Yes, that _was_ easy." Hermione chuckled, "We're on the run and all any of us has at the moment. I hate fighting with either of you under normal circumstances, but when we're roughing it together, it's unbearable." She looked to make sure Harry was paying attention, "We have psychotic witches and wizards after us who worship a half human megalomaniac; we have to stop bickering amongst ourselves because we are strongest as a united front."

Harry nodded, "Here, here." he looked between his friends, "So, are we on the mend, then?"

Hermione looked to Ron who gave her a crooked smile, "Yeah, I think we are."

Ron nodded, "So what's for dinner?"

**0o0o0o0**

**Yes, yes, I know many of you figured out what was coming! So did it live up to expectations?**

**More to come soon!**

**Thanks for reading! **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.**

**As always, I bow down to **_**Monkeywand**_**!**

**To everyone reading this, thank you for taking the time to do so!**

**OK, this is ****Snape's POV**** & it's a bit short. I Hope you like it.**

****0o0o0o0**  
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**18th of March, 1998**

On a particularly foggy and blustery afternoon, a dark, depressing castle stood in the midst of a nearly monochromatic landscape.

It was eerily quiet on the grounds of Hogwarts during what should have been a cheerful spring break holiday.

Not one student stayed behind. Even the orphans of new and old opted to fend for themselves outside of the school's walls.

Of course, no one could blame them. Least of all, Severus Snape, who – apart from the Carrows and a few odd Death Eaters – was the only one in the stark castle.

He sat at his desk in the Head office, reading _The Prophet_, which was basically just made up of the obituary section and lies that fed and favored the dark agenda.

After going through the fourth page filled with names and pictures of those already slain, the dark wizard let out a disgusted growl and scrunched up the parchment before lobbing it into the fireplace.

"Jolly good aim, my boy!" Professor Dumbledore's portrait praised from his frame just behind the Headmaster's desk chair.

Said chair scraped the stone floor as Snape stood, rounded the desk and started pacing. "Another, Albus... Yet another entire family wiped from existence!" he barked as he continued his pacing. "The whole O'Phelan family slaughtered... Pureblooded witches and wizards raped and tortured simply because two of them were spotted in muggle London!"

The office was silent for a moment as all the previous Headmasters and mistresses looked on until Dumbledore spoke up. "Were they friends, Severus?"

"No, Albus! I had no personal connection to the O'Phelans whatsoever, but that's not the point!" Severus huffed as his black eyes stayed focused on the stone floor, "The point is that the Dark Lord only signed off on the execution of purebloods if they were actively consorting with muggles and muggle-borns or if they were publically against him!" the dark wizard slowed his pace and looked up to the painted elderly wizard. "The O'Phelans may have never been branded Death Eaters, but that family never went against the Dark Lord and were proud Slytherins!"

"Aww, I see what you are getting at." Dumbledore spoke in his annoying all-knowing tone. "Tom is escalating; in his punishment as well as his paranoia."

"Paranoia? The psychotic fuckwit is absolutely barmy!"

Severus' words spurred a few giggles from the portraits.

"He tortures and kills at least two Death Eaters a meeting now."

Dumbledore nodded. "And being that we are now on holiday, Tom will be calling upon you soon."

Snape sneered as he gave a curt nod. "And with Bella continually spouting my treachery to anyone who will listen, I fear I may be next on his long list of casualties."

"Now don't speak such things, dear boy! You are in his inner circle and you still serve an important purpose for him. Plus, with that act you carried out last week, you proved your allegiance to him once more. Tom's trust in you should hold up for at least a few more weeks." Albus reasoned.

Snape sniffed derisively, "The Dark Lord trusts no one!"

Moving over to one of the large windows in the office, Severus stared out at the washed-out scenery as he absentmindedly pulled a silver chain from under his high collar and toyed with the small pendant housed on it; doing his best to push all thought of his dark master out of his mind. His thoughts soon traveled to another equally vexing place as he twisted the pendant around his fingers.

He had stayed true to his word and had yet to take off the muggle-made necklace. In fact, he went so far as to cast an impervious charm on it so it would never break or tarnish. He also made sure to charm it so it would never leave his neck without his expressed permission.

Ask him why he did such things to the bobble and he would be hard pressed to give an answer; mainly because he answers to no one other than his masters, but also because he still had a fair amount of confusion where a certain bushy-haired know-it-all was concerned.

Snape slid the pendant back and forth along the silver chain as he thought.

While he hated his plight before that night in the Forest of Dean, Severus was ultimately resolved to his fate and immovably sure of his feelings towards his role in the war and the reason why he had enslaved himself for the cause.

_Lily..._

Everything started and ended with Lily. Avenging her death by protecting her son and making sure the prophecy was fulfilled was the only duty that truly mattered.

Death, dementor's kiss, eternal imprisonment... come what may, nothing else mattered to him as long as he did what he needed to for Lily.

_Always Lily..._

That was until those scarce but chaotic few hours in a tent with a novice but very determined and impassioned Hermione Granger.

Now, while Snape was an antisocial prick and devout loner, he wasn't a complete hermit. The dark wizard had been with women in his life; some willing, some not. But not one of them meant any more to him than an obligatory song and dance or a vessel to suit his own needs.

_But Granger was different from the start,_ Severus thought to himself.

He had already worked out that his past relationship as her teacher and protector while at school was a large reason for that night being so much more different, it did not explain his incessant dwelling on that night or his ever growing concern for her wellbeing.

Severus' black eyes stared unseeingly through the thick fog covering the grounds; a thoughtful but distant frown on his face.

His resolve to never see the other side of this war was wavering as well. Many nights recently, Snape had caught himself thinking of life after the Dark Lord fell. It sickened, shocked and angered him – in equal parts – that he would catch himself imagining how he would approach the petite fireball of a witch after the war; actually endeavoring to see her again.

Even thinking about his own silliness made him wince. Woolgathering was a sign of dunderheaded weakness and Snape was neither a dunderhead nor weak.

But, much like the original, his thoughts of her were relentless; wearing down his resolve in both his impending death as well as the reason for everything he was doing.

Yes, Hermione Granger was even making him question his feelings for Lily; feelings that – before the Forest of Dean – were unwavering and as committed as his recluse qualities.

It angered, no, enraged him that one person and one insignificant moment could knock him off his axis so much.

_She was there and willing. What wizard under the same set of circumstances would turn a willing release away? And that was all she was supposed to be!_

The dark wizard fisted the pendant and willed his roiling emotions away.

It irritated him that the annoying little swot could shake his foundation on the fumes of such a short time together, but what often had him flying off the handle and throwing an all out tantrum at times was the simple reality that he had felt more warmth, understanding and trust in those few hours with Granger than he had ever felt with Lily.

_...or anyone, really..._

He worshiped Lily but she had always seemed like being around him was an obligatory nicety; like he was the charity case friend. Then, though, he hardly cared what attention she paid him, as long as he could be around her.

Severus was far from dense, he realized – if not quickly – that his one derogatory remark to the redheaded beauty was treated as nothing more than her way out. His one transgression against Lily was her escape clause; a way to sever all ties with him and not feel guilty.

Lily's inability to even attempt to forgive him -someone she had grown up with- while Granger not only saw past his countless transgressions but put her trust and good faith in him -someone she should hate beyond all reason- tore the wizard up inside.

Severus continued to fiddle with the necklace as he silently trudged through his sudden emotional upheaval.

_Why...? Why couldn't Lily forgive me, why couldn't she just give me a chance...? Why couldn't she see me?_

Clenching his jaw, Snape's silent but angry questions moved to the know-it-all.

_Why, of all people, was Granger able to move past everything... to see me?_

As much as he hated it and wanted to deny it, the dark wizard felt that Hermione Granger understood him more than anyone else who had ever known him... and she didn't even_ know him._

It was a vexing conundrum that tied Snape up in knots and was turning his whole thought process on loyalty, life and death upside down.

"-in his head again, Phineas, the boy has not heard a thing you've just said."

The sound of Dumbledore's chortling brought Snape back to the present. He turned and glared at the old man's portrait. "I've not been a boy for many years, Albus?" He turned to Phineas' portrait and barked, "What is it?"

The former Slytherin Headmaster noticeably baulked and huffed in offense before answering, "The mud-"

"_What_ have I told you about using that word?" Severus cut in.

"...The Granger girl and the boys have set up camp again."

Snape's frown eased slightly, "Did you get a location?"

Yet another thing that had fueled his self-loathing recently was using Phineas as a way of keeping track of the bushy-haired witch and her idiot friends. Even after all of these months, he still had to fight to keep indifference on his face.

"Not exactly, no... But they are an hour's walk from the outskirts of Bristol. I heard the Weasley boy whine about his feet when the witch opened up her bag."

The dark wizard nodded; inwardly debating on if he should check on her or not.

He had made sure that Phineas reported back about the Golden Trio's whereabouts regularly but it had only been in the last month that he had actually gone to their campsite just to see with his own eyes that they were safe.

Always taking great care in not being followed, Snape never approached Granger nor did he ever breach their protective wards. He had it down to a science – as muggles would say – but the first time he traveled to see if all was well after the Forest of Dean, he nearly set off their wards.

He had noticed Granger's exhaustion and he also picked up quickly that she and the Weasley boy were arguing. The last Snape had heard, the weasel said something about poisoning her tea. He about blew the dunderhead to Hades, and if his sudden protectiveness for Granger hadn't frozen him where he stood, he probably would have followed through.

Severus nodded and stated sarcastically, "Thank you for that marvelous update." Striding over to the coat rack, the dark wizard grabbed his robe.

"Where are you off to, Severus?" Dumbledore asked as he stood up in his frame.

With a bored drawl, Snape stated, "Not that it is any of your business but I am off to Diagon Alley." To his utter aggravation, Albus' painted eyes sparkled. "What?"

The elderly wizard sauntered up closer and leaned against his frame. "I just find it curious." he grinned, "Every time Phin gives his report on a certain trio's whereabouts lately; you suddenly have errands to attend to."

"Must you think up conspiracies to keep yourself occupied, old man?" Snape snarked.

The portrait of the former Headmaster raised his knobby hand to point at Severus' neck; still smirking. "I never took you for a wizard who wore any form of jewelry." At that, there were chuckles from the other paintings.

Grabbing the chain of his necklace, Severus stuffed it under the high collar of his frock coat and glared at Dumbledore. "What are you getting at, Albus?"

Dumbledore's teasing demeanor faded and the portrait gave the dark wizard a warm smile. "It's okay to be worried about their safety, Severus."

With one final glower, Snape turned on his heel and walked toward the door. "Lay off the lemon drops, old man, consuming all that paint is affecting your mind."

Albus chuckled, "Paint, it may be, but to me, their taste is on par with the real thing." To prove his point, he popped another painted lemon drop into his mouth just as Severus slammed the office door with a mighty thud.

**0o0o0o0**

Phineas was right; Granger and her miscreant friends were an hour's walk. They were west of Bristol, in a wooded area.

Using what little Phineas gave him to go on as well as deductive reasoning; he figured the trio would be west of the city. From there, it didn't take long to find them.

Of course, he didn't go to their campsite right away. No, to ensure he wasn't being followed by anyone, Severus walked through Hogsmeade at a leisurely pace before he apparated to Diagon Alley and did the same. He apparated to a half-dozen other places before his paranoia was satisfied.

It was roughly a twenty minute walk from the part of the woods that Snape apparated into to the campsite. As soon as he felt the urge to turn away from the route he was on, Severus stopped and cast a special spell of his own creation on the general vicinity. The spell he had created allowed him to see whatever was being hidden without actually breaking the spell that was hiding anything.

The dark wizard invented the spell months ago -in the fall- when he knew he would have to get the sword of Gryffindor to Potter somehow. After all, even with Phineas' help, how was he supposed to know when the opportune time was to cast his Patronus?

Granted _that_ night he cast the spell quickly; only to make sure someone was indeed up and taking watch. He had no idea it was Granger until she followed his Patronus to the pond.

Now, however, Snape cast the spell and held it.

Inside their protective bubble, the dark wizard saw the trio outside of their tent. Potter and Weasley looked to be dueling each other but due to the fact that Granger was lounging next to a tree, reading, he assumed they were practicing.

His obsidian orbs focused on the witch sitting at the base of the tree. She had her nose buried in _The Healer's Helpmate_ again. He always spotted her reading that or a ruddy children's book.

_What could possibly be so bloody fascinating about those books?_

He didn't know how long he stood just beyond their barrier, shadowed amongst the trees, but he did know his eyes never left the witch.

It made him fuming mad to know that he was concerned about the dark circles under her cinnamon eyes or how much she was actually eating because she looked like she was hardly much more than skin and bones. He wasn't supposed to care; not in the slightest as long as they lasted long enough to take down the Dark Lord.

As if conjured by the mere thought of him, Snape's dark mark started to twist and burn.

"Fucking hell..." He hissed under his breath as he grabbed his left forearm and willed the pain to go away.

Snape knew it wouldn't though; only grow exponentially until he answered the call.

Looking up, he saw Granger put her book aside, stand and conjure what looked like birds from leaves. He watched her laugh as said birds dive-bombed Weasley repeatedly.

He closed his eyes.

_It doesn't change anything..._

He parted his lids to watch the petite witch laugh as Potter hit Weasley with another spell and the redhead's skin started turning purple.

_This doesn't change anything..._

Fisting his hands repeatedly; livid at his own pathetic weakness, Severus closed his eyes once more and whispered with fuming force, "She doesn't change _anything_..."

With that, Severus Snape hiked up his sleeve and touched his wand to his dark mark. He apparated away; knowing full well that his whispered words were absolute bollocks.

She was changing everything...

**0o0o0o0**

**So, what'd you think?**

**More to come!**

**Thanks for reading.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.**

**So, you all know I've got nothin' but luv for **_**Monkeywand**_**, right?**

**And yeah, I've said it! I've said it and said it and I'll say it again! Mad thanks to everyone taking the time to read this fic! ;-P**

****0o0o0o0**  
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**22nd of March, 1998**

In the beautiful white tiled en-suite located off of the master bedroom that belonged to Bill and Fleur Weasley, Hermione sat on the lip of the Jacuzzi tub; shivering. Whether it was from the cold, the shock or the after affects of the Cruciatus curse, she didn't know and frankly, she didn't care.

Sitting shirtless with nothing but her cotton bra to keep her modest above the waist, all Hermione could think about was getting her hands on a wand so she could check the welfare of her child. Well, technically, she didn't know how to run a diagnostic on a fetus, but that torture curse at the hands of Bellatrix put her in a lot of pain, she'd be surprised if she didn't miscarry.

The young witch's lower lip quivered as tears cascaded down her cheeks. Even thinking such a thing made her want to curl up in a corner and die.

_I've failed my baby...I said I would take care of it and now...this..._ She covered her face with her hands to stifle a sob.

It had been a little more than a month since she'd found out about the little treasure she was carrying and in that time she had grown quite attached to being a mother. Yes, she was young and yes, there was a war on but she wouldn't for one moment wish for her child not to exist.

In the time from Valentine's Day to roughly twenty-four hours ago, life had been relatively uneventful. She and Ron were able to patch things up and their little runaway trio seemed to be stronger than it had been in nearly a year.

They apparated and hiked from place to place; never staying anywhere for long.

The horcrux hunt was at a depressing standstill but moral seemed to be high since they managed to keep well away from Death Eaters and Snatchers.

Up until yesterday, that is.

Harry accidentally said the Dark Lord's name…again. That was how she started referring to the psycho because saying 'You-Know-Who' or 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' were just complete bollocks.

Harry's slip-up triggered the Snatchers to find and chase them. This time, however, they weren't able to get away.

As soon as they were dragged to the front gates of Malfoy Manor, Hermione thought they were as good as dead. When she was isolated from the boys and tortured for nearly an hour before being thrown to Greyback under the pretence of a new plaything, she _wanted _to die.

They all truly owed their lives to Dobby.

_I must make it to his grave once I am able_, Hermione thought to herself.

The first thing she did as soon as they apparated and the chaos died down was head to the nearest rest room to vomit and relieve herself. The blood she found on her knickers alarmed her. There wasn't much she could do, though, as another set of tremors hit her while she made her way back to the living room.

She honestly couldn't remember much, only the pain she felt seizing her entire body. That spurred on sharp, gut wrenching pain from her abdomen.

All the people that were fussing around her believed all her pain were just aftershocks of the torture curse; none knew that she wasn't the only one suffering its effects. Miscarriage seemed to be inevitable and all she could do was curl up in a ball and cry.

Hermione didn't know how long she was like that but once the tremors left her body and the pain became slightly more bearable, she had been rushed into the master bedroom by Fleur to be looked over.

Seeing her reflection as she was being corralled into the en-suite, Hermione could see why. She was an absolute mess, and that was before she took off her top to make the carvings of one sadistic witch visible. 'Mudblood', 'Dirty' and 'Bitch' were the words carved repeatedly over Hermione's chest, back and arms; eight areas in all. The writing wasn't overly large, but it burned and the wounds were cursed so they wouldn't close no matter what spells Fleur used on them. Her wounds needed a professional.

That's why the witch was currently sitting alone. Fleur went to fetch Bill. While he wasn't a healer, he was a curse breaker and that was something.

Hermione didn't give a hippogriff's ruffled feathers about the wounds though. All she wanted to know was if she was still with child.

In the weeks since Valentine's Day, Hermione had found that she could feel a certain unexplainable bond with her unborn child. The feeling wasn't anything she could really put into words, but it was definitely there. In reading another little excerpt from _The Healer's Helpmate_, Hermione discovered that whatever she was feeling was normal for magical mother's to feel towards their unborn children.

What scared the young witch was the fact that she couldn't feel that bond now.

Fighting for control over her emotions, Hermione jolted when there was a soft knock on the door.

"'Ermione, I 'ave Bill with me. May we come in?"

Forcing deep breaths as she wiped off her cheeks, Hermione spoke in as solid a voice as she could muster, "Y-yes, c-come in."

Fleur walked in with Bill right behind her. "You see?" She gestured to the open wounds still bleeding on the young witch, "Nothing I 'ave done 'as worked!"

Bill nodded to the wary witch. "Sorry for the intrusion, Hermione."

"N-no, p-please… I-I-It's alright." Hermione clenched her jaw in frustration. She sounded like Neville talking to Snape. Her chest constricted at that thought. _Don't think about_ him _right now…not now…_

The redhead looked over Hermione's wounds as he spoke to his wife. "You tried the-"

"Yes!" Fleur interrupted.

Bill nodded, "What about-"

"Of course!" the half-Vela answered testily.

"And you've-"

"Bill, I 'ave not brought you in 'ere because I am inept, I 'ave brought you 'ere because all of that did not work!"

"Of course, sorry, love."

Hermione looked at the silvery-blonde haired witch and thought she was dangerously close to stomping her foot at her husband.

Pulling out his wand, Bill aimed it at the wound on her right shoulder before speaking. "Alright, Hermione, I'm going to try a spell but it may hurt a bit so brace yourself."

She tensed but no amount of 'bracing' could get her ready for the pain she experienced. It wasn't as horrendous as the torture curse but it did feel like a dozen large needles were being shoved through her skin at once. "OW! Mmmm... Ow, ow, ow..." Hermione bit the insides of her cheeks to distract from the pain on her shoulder as she willed her tears away.

"Sorry." Bill said before casting a mending spell. "I think I've got it though, it's healing."

Hermione peeked at her right shoulder to see the series of cuts that formed the word 'Dirty' close up to leave slightly raised, silvery-white series of scars in their place.

"I'm afraid that'll be the best I can do. The cuts were made from a thrice cursed object, I'm sorry, but the scaring won't go away."

Shaking her head, the young witch gave Bill a small smile, "Th-That's fine, r-really. I appreciate y-you doing this."

"Alright, only seven left to go. I'll try to be quick about it."

"Sure," Hermione said absently as her eyes focused on the redhead's wand. She had to find a way to procure one but asking a witch or wizard to borrow their wand was simply bad form and would raise suspicions. Bowing her head, she readied herself for more pain.

**0o0o0o0**

Later that evening, when all the lights were extinguished and everyone was tucked away in their beds or -for the boys- passed out in the living room, Hermione uncurled herself from under the covers and glanced over at the bed across the room from hers. There, Luna lie sleeping; sighing serenely every once in a while but otherwise motionless and deeply ensconced in dreamland.

With a deep breath, the young witch got out of bed and quietly moved to the bedroom door. She had to get to a wand so she could cast the pregnancy charm again.

Luna no longer had her wand. The Death Eater's took it along with Dean's. Harry had Draco's wand and she had Bellatrix's wand in her beaded bag but she didn't trust that wand to be aimed anywhere near her. She didn't much trust Draco's wand either and she knew she didn't have the courage to sneak into Bill and Fleur's room to uses their wands. That only left one option, really. She had to snatch Ron's wand.

With a shaky breath, Hermione opened the bedroom door only to have it creek so loud she swore all of England heard it. Glancing back to her roommate, the witch was relieved that Luna simply sighed and rolled over to her stomach.

_Okay, you can do this,_ Hermione thought to herself. She was not used to sneaking around, usually that was Harry's expertise. Taking another shaky breath, she made herself relax in the thought that if anyone was up, she could simply say she was thirsty or needed to use the loo.

Walking on the balls of her feet, the young witch winced with every step. Even with the pain potions and muscle relaxants, Hermione's whole body still stung; like every nerve ending was being consistently buffed with sandpaper. Her muscles felt as if they were on fire, her head ached, her stomach was roiling painfully and she was still spotting. The blood on her knickers was significantly less than it was six hours ago but she still couldn't feel that bond between her and her baby. She was truly out of her mind with worry.

Chewing on the insides of her cheeks to keep from whimpering at every step she took, Hermione made it down the stairs of Shell Cottage and into the living room to see Harry lying half-hazardly on the couch while Dean and Ron slept on cots that Fleur must have transfigured from the coffee table and overstuffed chair.

Making sure they all were asleep, the witch tip-toed over to a slightly snoring redhead and hoped to the gods above that he kept his wand under his pillow and not in his pajama pants. That could be awkward, not to mention scarring if she managed to grasp the wrong wand... Hermione shook her head free of that thought and cringed.

_Focus, Hermione!_ She admonished herself before looking around at the other sleeping living room dwellers; bending and lightly, carefully slipping her hand under Ron's pillow.

With a relieved almost-sigh, Hermione grasped the wand and extracted it from its resting place.

As quick as she could, Hermione stealthily moved into the dining room to ensure privacy. Feeling the sluggishness of the magic flowing through Ron's wand, she knew it wasn't suited and was reluctant towards her. She just hoped it would work well enough to cast one spell for her. Make that two; she had to cover up the pregnancy test spell with another so no one could possibly look upon it later.

Raising Ron's wand, Hermione executed the intricate wand movement and whispered, "_Esse__gravidam__."_

Like before, her stomach emitted a silvery glow before one word wrote itself in the air in front of her.

_**Positive.**_

She stared at the word -much like before- until it faded away.

Then, the force of that one word hit her again and Hermione's lower lip quivered much like her knees.

Giving into the relief she felt, the witch staggered to the nearest chair and sat down; covering her face with her hands and silently wept in pure elation that her baby was still living inside of her. _But to what extent? _She asked herself after she pulled herself together enough to think. _I still can't feel our bond_, she thought as she looked down and lightly rubbed her flat stomach. _You had to have felt those Crucios just as much as I had, little one. What did it do to you? Are you alright?_

Wiping the last of her tears away, Hermione promised herself and her baby that she would find a way -even if it meant apparating to St. Mungo's- to find out how her child was faring.

With a few more sniffles and many more deep breaths, Hermione stood from the dining room table and cast a quick _Lumos _and _Nox _before she moved quietly back to the living room to deposit Ron's wand back under his pillow that he was now drooling on and then padded as quickly and quietly as she could back up the stairs and to her room, only to stop in her tracks at the twinkling absent eyes of Luna who was staring at her with a slight smile.

"Hello Hermione, what are you doing out of bed?" the blonde-haired witch asked kindly.

"Oh, um...had to use the loo." Hermione grasped quickly onto the first excuse she could come up with.

Luna's smile got a bit brighter. "Oh, I thought you went out to the beach to search for Bundimun. They are quite abundant in this climate. I'm quite surprised the cottage isn't swimming in them," Luna gave a wistful smile, "or maybe it is. Would you care to go searching for them with me?"

Hermione gave a bemused frown. "Um, sure Luna but why don't we do that in the morning." she moved to her bed and tried not to moan as her frayed nerves came in contact with the soft surface.

"Just as well, plimpies and dragon turtles are probably littering the beach at the moment. They're always in a right foul mood if they are disturbed before first light." Luna explained in her usual far away tone as she snuggled back into her covers. "Goodnight Hermione."

Finally in a comfortable position, Hermione exhaled the breath she'd been holding and whispered, "Goodnight Luna." the young witch rubbed her tummy until she finally drifted off to sleep, dreaming of a child with black curls, pale skin and a thirst for knowledge.

**0o0o0o0**

Hermione stared out at the pond; thawed in the spring warmth and surrounded by trees in bloom. She smiled as wildlife skittered through the forest and the leaves rustled in the breeze.

Breathing deep, the witch happily hummed until she heard a snap of a twig behind her. Turning, she saw the tall imposing wizard that had taken up a good deal of her thought process these last few months. Beaming anxiously up at him, Hermione launched herself into his arms.

"Severus," was what was whispered on an exhalation as she attached herself to him like a barnacle does to the belly of a ship; screwing her eyes shut to keep her tears of joy firmly in their place. The witch reveled in the feel of his strong arms wrapping around her while he nuzzled that fantastic nose of his in her hair. "It's been so long. I-I...I'd thought you'd forgotten about me... About that night…"

There was a long silence before his mesmerizing voice filled her ears, "Never."

She laughed even as she cried; her grip around his waist growing desperately tighter before she remembered herself and reluctantly pulled away to stare into his fathomless depths. "I got your missive."

The corners of his lips quirked up as he drawled, "Obviously."

She tried hard to frown at him, "How did you know we were at Shell Cottage?"

"I have my ways." By the way his brow rose; she knew he was being deliberately ominous.

"If that is true, why haven't you tried to contact me earlier?"

"It hasn't been safe to." His hands flattened on the small of her back.

This time she really did frown, "And now it is different?"

He shook his head, "I confess that there is no difference in the... dangers of our situation."

She stared up at him and urged, "But...?"

Seeing his Adams apple bob as he swallowed and averted his eyes, the witch knew whatever he had to say was difficult. This was not standard Snape behavior. "I've...missed you, Hermione."

Those four words from this wizard suddenly put the world to rights. All the doubts in her mind stopped warring for supremacy over her emotions and dissolved into a distant memory as her hands moved up his torso to grip the back of his neck and pull him down into a needy, emotional kiss.

The moment their lips touched, Hermione felt as though a significant amount of Weasley Wizard's exploding products erupted within her. His lips were so soft and the kiss felt so right. When he deepened the kiss by slipping his tongue past her lips to massage her tongue, she felt her legs go weak; now standing only because his arms were supporting her.

When they broke apart, the witch had tears in her eyes as she laughed. Looking up at the dark wizard, she wanted to tell him she loved him, she wanted to tell him of their baby. She wanted to demand that he ravish her and when he was done, fit her into his pocket and keep her protected for always. She wanted all these things and more but before she could express any of them, there was a shout of triumph from the bushes behind Snape.

"HA! I knew it; I _knew_ he was a traitor. You see, Lucius, I told you!"

The psychotic cackle of Bellatrix Lestrange sent tendrils of terror down Hermione's spine. She held onto Severus for dear life even as he turned towards them.

Bellatrix and Lucius sauntered out from their hiding place; wands raised.

"My, my, Severus, I have to say, I'm torn between utter disgust and sheer pride." Lucius spoke in a calm tone.

Bellatrix's face contorted in confusion. "What are you on about?"

"Review the facts my dear sister-in-law, Severus has never been one to rut around." The blonde smirked, "But now he's gone and outdone himself by bedding one of his students." He chuckled, "Only problem is that the little slag is also a mudblood and the friend of Potter."

Hermione could feel Severus' grip on her tighten.

"So now, I'm afraid, we're going to have to take the bint to our lord and punish you, my friend." Lucius sighed, "It is a shame, you were like a brother to me."

"We don't _need_ the girl, Lucius!" Bellatrix hissed, "Not alive, at least! All we need is her body to bring to the Dark Lord. He'll know how to use her filthy body to bring Potter to us." she giggled menacingly even as she bounced up and down. "He'll probably string her rotting corps on the entrance gates of Hogwarts!"

Hermione clung to Snape as tears blurred her vision.

"Oh, I want to cast the curse! Let me cast the curse!" Bellatrix's body shook with anticipation.

Lucius simply stared at Snape, "Surely you knew you had a tracking charm on you... and that it was suspicious for you to leave the school when the Dark Lord gave you specific instruction to never leave it unless summoned?" he tsked. "Now look what you've gotten yourself into, all for a worthless little mudblood." Lucius simply nodded his head at the quivering witch beside him.

Bellatrix gave a sigh of deep gratification before her crazed eyes bulged and she screamed, "_AVADA KADAVRA_!"

Hermione saw the green cloud of death hurdling towards them and all she could do was clutch Severus to her.

"No!" Severus shouted as he pried Hermione away from him and gave her a great push.

The next thing Hermione knew, she was on the forest floor, listening to Bellatrix laugh. Looking around, she saw a pile of black fabric lying lifelessly a few feet away from her. "NO!" she shouted as she scurried on her hands and knees towards the black mass.

There, lying with his raven locks strewn about his pale face was Severus Snape, staring with dead unfocused eyes beyond her.

"NO! Nononono... What about the baby! What about me! Severus, come back! I love you..."

**0o0o0o0**

"_plea... my baby... come back... no... no... _NO!" Hermione shot upright in her bed and fought to catch her breath and remember where she was.

Looking around, she recognized that she was in the room that she shared with Luna at Shell Cottage for over two weeks now. She remembered that she was feeling a bit light headed and worn out this afternoon so she laid down for a nap.

Fortunately, she had been able to rest in the room with no great issue being taken up with Griphook, the goblin. He had grown quite used to spending his days in this room once she and Luna were up and dressed for the day. But, just recently, Bill had made it clear to the goblin that he was to spend a brief time, at least, with the rest of the cottage's inhabitants.

Getting out of bed, Hermione stretched and gazed out of the window to see that a storm was brewing.

Without even looking at the time, she knew it was near enough to dinner and she had been asleep for near two hours now.

_Suppose Griphook will want the room back._

With a sigh, Hermione looked to the tome lying on the floor next to her bed and dutifully nudged it under the frame and away from prying eyes.

It wasn't a dark or banned tome, simply a book on potions but she would rather not be questioned about her interest in it. After all, it wasn't really needed. After Griphook agreed to help them break into Gringotts, it was rather easy to agree on Polyjuice potion to aid in the disguise. With her retaining the only hair of a Death Eater -that Death Eater being none other than Bellatrix Lestrange- it wasn't a question that she would be the one drinking the potion.

She'd do it. If it helped them, she'd do it. The problem was she didn't know how the potion would affect someone who was pregnant.

Honestly, Polyjuice was just a more permanent and accurate glamour that gave off only the most minute of magical signatures so was undetectable by others. It, essentially, only changed one's outward appearance. But, being that it had to be ingested, Hermione was wary about how much, if any, would reach her child and what the effects might be if it did.

A few days after arriving at the cottage, Hermione felt the warming of her belly and the bond with her child re-establish itself. She was more than relieved because she had been about to throw caution to the wind and go to St. Mungo's. Now, feeling her baby again, she was fiercely overprotective of its safety.

That's why she was scouring the tome she had stashed away from Bill's small but respectable library. She needed to know for sure that ingesting the potion wouldn't harm her child. It was bad enough she would have to take something that held the crazed witch's DNA but she would up and confess her pregnancy before her child suffered at all from that choice.

Slipping from her room to the restroom, Hermione shut the door and sighed as thoughts of her most recent dream floated about in her mind.

Ever since she'd found out that she had not miscarried, Hermione had the urge to get in contact with Severus. Thinking of what she would say, how she would encode it, how he would decipher it, what he would think, if it would be intercepted and if he would be punished. She wanted so badly to tell him of her feelings and their child but feared any punishment that could possibly be dealt to him.

She also realized that he may not want to hear from her or know that they'd created a life. A part of her totally expected him -and everyone, for that matter- to think that she was just a naive, lovelorn little witch with crazy romantic ideals, and from other people's points of view, it could very well seem that they were right.

But deep down inside of her, Hermione knew that this extreme emotion that she had identified as love was real.

Some might say that because Severus was her first, she was simply enamored; building up some fantastic version of the wizard up in her mind but that simply wasn't the case. Hermione knew that Severus was a petty, cantankerous, introverted, sarcastic arse with a wicked sharp tongue and took perverse enjoyment out of cutting others down. She knew this and she may not always like it but Hermione had found that she had accepted it because it was an integral part of what made him who he was. She also accepted that he had been a Death Eater and was now a spy. She found that she accepted him taking part in unspeakable acts now if that was what he had to do to keep his cover and save others. Most would call her delusional but she felt that she was the only one living that saw all of Severus.

_Well, surely not all, but a great deal more than most or any, for that matter. _The witch thought as she took care of business in the loo and then moved to wash her hands and face before staring at her reflection in the mirror as her thoughts continued to center on a certain dark wizard.

She accepted him with all of his faults because she knew that in his heart, he was not a bad person.

Sadly, he was once a lost angry boy who had made a bad choice. From what she understood, it was a decision that he regretted fairly quickly and, as he so aptly put, he'd been dealing with this since she was in nappies. If he was so dedicated to the cause, how could she not accept all of him and see past the jagged exterior. The fact that he was carrying out vows and fulfilling duties was immaterial because, at the core of it all, Severus Snape agreed to take those vows and become a spy. That sort of blatant, ballsy courage and dedication was something she wasn't sure even the noblest of Gryffindors had within them.

No, it may have only happened within a small four hour span of time but Hermione knew deep down that the time she spent intimately with Severus Snape -the second most hated man in the wizarding world- something was aroused inside of her. Something that almost made her believe in fate. There time together felt so perfect in its own way, she had trouble seeing it as a fluke or a chance meeting in a whirlwind of chaos.

So, yes, she wanted to write him and inform him of the current events but she feared any interception and didn't hold out hope for any positive reaction on his part. She did not believe that he would ever love her back or take part in their child's life should they both survive but, she would always cherish their fleeting time together and dared to believe it was a bit more than a search for comfort.

With another sigh, Hermione squared her shoulders and left the bathroom; ready to face everyone and say goodbye to Mr. Olivander. He was leaving their motley crew for France to continue healing.

She hoped Fleur was making mashers. She suddenly had a craving for them with loads of melted butter.

**0o0o0o0**

_Unholy Hades, I'm a wreck. It's too much, just way too much!_

Hermione took the stairs two at a time as she made her way back to the bathroom; fighting a losing battle to restrain her tears.

Dinner had been fantastic and she almost kissed Fleur for making steak and mashers -complete with loads of melted butter- so she didn't know why she was crying.

That was a lie, she knew why, she just felt awful for confessing it.

Remus had come to Shell Cottage and regaled the respectable congregation with news of his wife having their first child; a happy, healthy little boy by the name of Teddy who apparently had his mother's morphing abilities.

Hermione was happy for the couple who struggled for so long to be happy. She loved Remus and Tonks dearly but a significant part of her couldn't help but be a bit jealous.

The witch twisted her face in disgust.

Even confessing it in her head had her wanting to hex herself.

_I must be a horrible person. How self-centered did you have to be to be jealous of your friend's happiness, especially in a time when it was so ephemeral? _

Hermione believed that she honestly didn't deserve their friendship because she was suddenly insanely jealous of the fact that Tonks got to be with the man that she loved and was able to share news of her pregnancy. Tonks had a loving husband that was over the moon -no pun intended- for her and their son. And their friends and family were happy for them.

Hermione leaned against the vanity and sighed as she wiped away her tears.

Something told her that once she announced her pregnancy and who sired it, all she would be met with is confusion and blistering anger. It was superbly unfair but, she mused, something she subconsciously signed on for when she let that night in late December proceed.

While everyone was toasting to Remus and his new family, Hermione sat with a glass of water and plastered on a smile that felt so fake it was sickening. Yes, she was happy for her friends but achingly longed for the same reaction when her baby came.

And the most horrific thing about it was that she had a feeling Remus knew it. The way he kept glancing at her oddly, it was like he could smell her jealousy and longing. That was why she fled from the impromptu party downstairs and that's why she was now bogged down with shame.

As she went about washing the tear streaks from her face, Hermione felt warmth spread throughout her abdomen and smiled. Their connection was growing.

"Hello, little one. Are you trying to get your mummy's attention?" she put her hands over her slightly protruding stomach. It was nothing noticeable; her stomach just looked as if she'd been particularly gluttonous with her meal. She understood that at just less than sixteen weeks, she should be showing a bit more but held out hope with her growing connection that her baby was doing just fine. "Did you enjoy dinner tonight? Were you the one making mummy crave mashers?" She felt the internal warmth grow just a bit and wanted to believe that it was her child communicating its happiness to her.

She had tried during her time at the cottage to find a way to gather more concrete evidence of her baby's health but came up with nothing.

"Are you doing alright in there, little one? Is mummy keeping you happy?" The warmth she felt kept on for a good two minutes before subsiding. She rubbed her stomach, "Alright, my love, go on and rest."

Taking one last look in the mirror, Hermione opened the bathroom door, ready to join the crowd again only to be startled out of her wits by the person leaning up against the wall opposite the door. "Remus!" Her hands flew to her chest and her heart hummed, "You scared me!"

Remus' eyes bore into her as he stepped over and nudged her back into the bathroom before shutting the door and taking out his wand to throw privacy wards up. "Who were you talking to just now?" he questioned with a frown.

Hermione's eyes went wide but she shook her head and replied, "No one but myself."

"Hermione Granger, don't you lie to me," he all but growled as his eyes narrowed. "I can hardly see you calling yourself 'little one'." His frown eased as he took a deep breath. His eyes turned from stern to something between confused and sorrowful. "You're pregnant."

Jumping slightly, Hermione instinctively wrapped her arms around her stomach as she began to shake her head in the negative.

"Don't lie Hermione. I never figured you for a liar." Remus' tone was less demanding and more concerned. "I can smell it; smell that you are pregnant. It's changed your entire scent."

"You can _smell _that I'm pregnant? _How_?" the witch was horrified and felt the urge to take another shower, right then and there.

"Only because I knew your scent before you were." the werewolf tunneled a hand through his slightly unkept hair, "How far along are you and who's the father? Is it Ron?"

"No," Hermione quickly negated, "no, it's not Ron and before you ask, it's not Harry either!"

Remus' brows knitted together, "Dean?"

The witch actually laughed at that, "No, not Dean or anyone else living under this roof. I'm... I'm about sixteen weeks along."

He caulked his head to the side. "You were on the run during that time."

"I was, yes."

Suddenly his eyes went wide and he took a step towards her to rest a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hermione… do…do you know who the father is? I mean w-were you f-forced-"

"Gods no!" The witch cut her friend off. "No, Remus, I wasn't raped!"

"Then...who?"

Shaking her head, Hermione nibbled her lower lip. "I'm sorry but I'm not going to give up his identity."

"Does he know?"

After a moment, Hermione shook her head, "No... It's not... um, safe to be in contact with him at the moment."

"So, no one knows?"

"Except for you, I haven't told anyone."

He gave her an odd look.

"It isn't because I'm ashamed of him or my baby, it's just… There are more pressing matters to attend to. The father and I can't be together until this war is over…"

_Even then…_

"And I refuse to have Harry and Ron go on without me simply because I'm pregnant."

"But if it's best for the baby-"

"What is _best_ for this baby is for this war to be over with." Hermione barked before taking a deep breath and continuing, "I don't mean to sound harsh but I need, we all need this war to be over. The only way to do that is to carry on with the mission Dumbledore has tasked to us. This task needs all three of us working on it to get it done. I can see that but I'm not entirely sure the boys do. If they find out about my... condition, I may wake up to find that they've gone without me."

Remus shook his head, "I don't believe they would do that."

"And I do so I guess we are at an impasse. Harry and Ron are both exceedingly stubborn; I'm not willing to take that chance. I will need an oath that you will not tell anyone before I do."

Oath given, the werewolf looked down at Hermione's still relatively flat tummy but seemed to move off the subject all together. "So, you're still working on your...mission, as it were?"

Hermione nodded as she relaxed a bit. "Yes, we'll be off soon to finish it." _Speaking of,_ "Um, I don't suppose you know about the use of Polyjuice potion on a witch with child, do you?"

Remus stood in front of her, gaping.

"I thought not." _Well, it was worth a shot anyway._ "How about morphing? Was Tonks allowed to morph at all during her pregnancy?"

"You're going to use polyjuice? Why?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you."

Seeming to understand, Remus shrugged and answered the young witch's questions. "The Healer told Dora not to morph during her third trimester. It didn't upset her pregnancy at all when she morphed before then but my Dora is a Metamorphmagus, I would think her body would readily adapt to morphing during pregnancy." He sighed, "I was pants at potions but I know enough to know that polyjuice is just an imbibed glamour. It shouldn't do anything to your body internally. You only need a few sips to activate it so I doubt any of the potion would actually make it to your baby but if you're wary, Hermione, best not to take it at all. Let one of the boys do it."

_Yeah, if only that was an option that didn't have an interrogation attached to it,_ Hermione thought sagely as she plastered a slightly less fake smile on her face. "Thank you, Remus. I shall see what I can do."

He nodded awkwardly to her stomach, "And, um, how is it fairing? Have you seen anyone to tell you?"

Hermione shook her head sadly, "It's not like I'm really in the position to saunter about in public without being captured and taken to the Da- um…You-Know-Who, himself. I've tried looking up a few charms to help but-"

"I know a few." Remus offered with a crooked smile.

"Really?"

He nodded, "I went with Dora to a fair amount of her appointments and watched the medi-witches and Healers carefully. I know the general fetal health spell, the charm for the baby's gender as well as the charms to ease swollen ankles and aching lower backs."

"Brilliant!"

It took Remus about five minutes to teach Hermione all the spells he knew for pregnant witches. He cast them since she was without a wand and they both found out that she was carrying a son and he was healthy if not just a bit small.

Tears of complete awe clouded her vision as she heard her son's heart beat for the first time. It was rather fast but Remus told her that when he asked about the heart rate in regards to his son, the medi-witch assured him that it was normal for a growing, healthy fetus.

The werewolf let the young witch bask in the glow of her newly acquired information before telling her he needed to get back to his family.

Hermione thanked him with a hug and followed him back down to the living room to say goodbye. This time when she smiled, it was genuine.

As soon as Remus apparated away, Hermione joined the rest of the cottage occupants in the living room for tea; all the while thinking about what her son would look and act like. Would he look like her and love to read or would he be brooding like his father and have a penchant for potions?

_As long as he's healthy, happy and safe…_

**0o0o0o0**_  
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**I've got more on the way!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.**

**My beta, **_**Monkeywand**_** rulez! I'm just sayin'. **

**Redundant? Maybe, but my thanks are genuine all the same. **

**Some direct quotes from Deathly Hallows are in this chapter and are indicated by the bold, **_**italicized**_** font.**

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**1st of May, 1998**

Hermione watched with trepidation as Harry and Luna left the Room of Requirement to go up to Ravenclaw tower; hoping that they wouldn't get caught. Looking around, it seemed that everyone else had a similar thought.

It had been such a stressful, action packed day, Hermione wanted to collapse in one of the hammocks strung about the room and sleep for a week.

It turned out that she found what she'd been looking for in the potions tome at the cottage, wherein it outlined the warnings and usage of polyjuice potion in miniscule writing at the bottom of the page. She had to pinch Ron's wand to enlarge the book to three times its original size just to read it. Stated plainly after all the directions of usage and forfeit of liability were the sentences she was looking for: _Polyjuice potion is non-habit forming and will not render any change permanent if brewed correctly. Polyjuice potion has been cleared by the International Potions Guild to be completely safe (when brewed correctly) for everyone, including: children, witches and wizards under the age of 160, witches expecting, Velas, merpeople and giants._

With that detail cleared up, Hermione was able to rest better in the days leading up to their impossible break in.

Not to say that she was completely stress free. She still worried about her friends, whether or not they could trust Griphook and the constant threat of death and destruction at every turn. She still spent about ten seconds of every waking minute thinking about a certain dark wizard as well as the life growing within her, but she also thought that maybe, just maybe, they could pull this insane scheme off and come out the other side without getting caught.

As it turned out -by sheer dumb luck- they had. Well, caught in the physical sense anyway.

Of course, their miraculous escape from the most secure wizarding bank in the world was followed immediately by a nauseating flight via angry dragon, a twenty-five foot drop into a freezing lake, information that the psycho wanna be dictator they were fighting had found out about their actions _and_ assembling enough Gryffindor courage to go behind enemy lines to find a tiara lost to the wizarding world for more than a millennia.

All that and the young witch was craving chocolate éclairs like mad.

_Or maybe my little one is... Maybe our hunt will lead us to the kitchens..._

Since that squally day in April when Remus came to tell everyone that he was the proud father of a healthy baby boy, Hermione had noticed an increase in cravings. If Fleur looked at her funny for wanting a pickle and mustard sandwich at breakfast one more time, she would have had to hex the statuesque half-Veela.

"So..." Ron broke the silence awkwardly as he surveyed the room, "this is a nice little set up." When everyone turned to stare at him incredulously, the ginger-brute cleared his throat, "Cozy."

"That's our brother," Fred stated with mock enthusiasm.

George nodded, "Always a ruddy hippogriff at an apothecary when it comes to moments."

Ron just frowned and turned to Hermione. "What'd I do?"

Seamus shook his head. "You wouldn't be thinking this is a right cozy place if you'd been here at all this year, mate." He pointed to the bruises all over his swollen face, "Compliments of that nasty cow, Alecto! Right evil piece of work, she is."

There were murmurs of agreement as many nodded their heads.

Lavender spoke up, "Hogwarts... has turned into a complete nightmare." She shook her head and looked at Ron. "The Carrows torture students daily. The only ones safe are Slytherins. The other teachers can't even fight back. Have you heard what happened to Michael?" She pointed to the boy in question.

Hermione and Ron nodded sadly.

"Well he's not the only one to be punished so badly!" Lee Jordan announced.

Lavender nodded. "The Creevey brothers, Wayne Hopkins, Rose Zeller..."

A few people hissed as if even the mention of the names brought on real pain.

"All made to be...sadistic little training dolls for the Carrows." Lavender continued.

Fred, George, Hermione and Ron had horrified astonishment on their faces.

"And what about Nott senior telling little Theo to carve up that tiny third year's arm?" Seamus supplied. "Came here for a visit, all the Death Eaters do once and again. Anyway, comes to see how his pride and joy is faring with his school work and asks Theo to demonstrate. I about retched right there!"

"Suzie Calaway," Lavender shook her head, "got a detention for correcting Amicus in class. Her punishment was to have 'Mudblood' carved into her forearm with a cursed knife."

Hermione knew all too well what that was like and involuntarily cringed.

"Yeah? And what about the greasy git?" George asked.

"Hardly ever see him," Anthony Goldstein parroted Neville's earlier words.

"Yeah, but when you do, it's never a good sign."

"When has it ever been?" Fred asked with a half amused, half derisive snort.

"You don't understand," Lavender shrieked anxiously. "Some of the worst punishments I've seen have come from Snape. A few weeks ago, he turned his wand on two fourth year students. He tortured them in the Great Hall in front of all of us during dinner."

"Yeah, while the Carrows cheered him on!" Parvati said with disgust.

"I can still hear their screams." Lavender confessed brokenly.

Hermione looked around in horror as everyone else nodded their heads. "Tortured? He _actually _cast an unforgivable on them?" her mind reeled. _It couldn't be true. He wouldn't, not without a monumentally good reason._

Lavender nodded. "That wasn't the first time he'd done it; cast a prolonged Crucio on a student at least once before that I know of," her eyes flicked to someone in the crowd before dropping down to the floor again, "but they were definitely... an _example_."

There was more to that statement, the young witch was sure but she focused on the topic at hand. "An example, who... Are they alright?" Hermione questioned apprehensively with an undercurrent of rage. Could it be that all Snape showed her in their brief time together was all just a lie? _Why?_

Terry Boot spoke up, "Lyla Lapel... A Ravenclaw… And Brenton Mass, he was a Gryffindor."

Hermione clung to one word. "_Was_?"

Ernie Macmillan shouted, "The dungeon bat killed them!"

There was a roar of disgruntled approval as many backed up Terry's claim.

"Tortured them for hours, he did!" Goldstein piped up.

"Don't exaggerate, it wasn't hours. It probably wasn't even an hour," Lee Jordan corrected, "but Snape was... _relentless_." He looked to Lavender, "I still hear their screams too."

"What happened to them?" Ron asked. "Why didn't anyone stop him?"

"They're dead!" Padma answered. "Don't you think we would have stopped them if we could? Snape ordered the other Death Eaters roaming about the castle and his precious Slytherins to cast and hold a binding spell large enough to blanket the other three tables. We couldn't move and we watched Snape kill them!" the witch shrieked as tears fell from her eyes before Parvati admonished her,

"Now, we don't know that!" She turned back to Ron and Hermione, "We honestly don't know what happened to them. After they were tortured, Snape ordered Madam Pomfrey to take them to the infirmary-"

"Eddie Carmichael and I went to check on them the next morning but the Hospital wing was empty and Madam Pomfrey refused to tell us anything." Ernie took up the account as he looked around the group. "We haven't seen them since."

Hermione didn't know what to think, let alone what to say. _How could that be true? How could Snape justify torturing two fourth years?_ She closed her eyes as doubt threatened to tip her off her axis and she remembered her words to the dark wizard. _He is not a monster... he has a heart... and I support anything he needs to do during this war because he is a spy for the light and a good person. _But how could she support torture? Shaking her head, Hermione did her best to reserve her judgment until she heard Snape's side. She had to remain confident that she would see him again and be able to ask.

Neville clapped his hands together once to bring everyone out of their maudlin thoughts. "Right, it's been wicked here for a while but everything seems to be looking up!" He gestured to Ron and Hermione, "The Golden Trio's back; slipped right under Snape's colossal nose!" He laughed. "Good thing too, now you don't have to rush to find whatever it is you're looking for. So should we split into groups and look about the castle or wait until Harry and Luna get back?"

Hermione shook her head as she remembered Harry's words about the Dark Lord knowing and checking on his horcruxes. "No, we don't have time at all! We have to find that diadem or start rooting around for a better lead!" The anxiousness in her voice spurred the others into nervous chatter. The witch nibbled her lower lip as she tried to think of a way to hurry the process along or help in some manner when she felt a slight nudge to her arm. Turning, she saw Ron leaning into whisper in her ear.

"Even if we do find the last few Horcruxes, how are we going to destroy them?"

Her brows knitted together and she was close to quivering with nerves. "Oh, _I don't know,_ Ron! I wish I did but, at least if we can find the last Horcruxes, we can hide them from You-Know-Who until we can find the answer to destroy them."

"But we have to destroy them, or else the snake-faced wanker stays immortal and then this war could go on for ages!" He shook his head, "I can't have this bloody war go on for ages, Hermione. I want to be able to sleep in my own bed, eat a real full course meal... I want to play quidditch again!"

Hermione stared at her ginger-headed friend for a second before patting his shoulder, "You've got it rough, love. Tell you what, why don't you write down your complaints and then take them to old snake-face himself and see what you can work out?"

He shrugged her off, "Come off it, Mi, I'm serious! If I never see the inside of a tent again, it will be too soon!" Crossing his arms, Ron bowed his head and his face contorted into what looked an awful lot like a pout for several minutes before inspiration hit, "Mione!"

Gazing at him, Hermione couldn't help but feel the excitement radiating off of Ron as a brilliant smile plastered itself on his freckled face.

"I have an idea!"

**0o0o0o0**

And what an idea it was.

Brilliant actually, and if Hermione wasn't so tired or her nerves so frayed, she may have asked Ron where in the hell this brilliance was when they were in school.

As it was, the young witch was entirely too awed by the redhead's inadvertent stumble upon genius that she simply stared around the gaudy room that screamed Slytherin to the heavens; or maybe it was chanting it's gothic decadence to a lower realm.

At any rate, the Chamber of Secrets was a sight to behold. What caught Hermione's eye was the monstrous skeleton that Ron was walking towards. Staring at the infrastructure of what used to be a very deadly and blood thirsty snake, the witch shivered; equal parts horrified and amazed that Harry had taken this beast on at only the age of twelve and lived to tell the tale.

From what she was staring at, he had greatly dumbed down the facts.

_Oh, Harry..._

Her musings were interrupted when Ron came jogging up to her with an armload of fangs. "Careful, Ron, they're still poisonous. Don't fool around and stab yourself with one!"

He grinned crookedly at her as she took a few fangs daintily out of his hands. "Watch it, Mione, I might just think you care," he jested.

Looking up into his blue eyes, Hermione stated seriously, "I will always care for you, Ron. Never, ever doubt that."

He looked down at the fangs in his arms and nodded slightly, "Me too, Mione."

They both went silent for what seemed like an eternity before the Ron cleared his throat,

"Right, well... we had better find out if these bloody fangs will work like we'd hoped."

Nodding, Hermione accio'd the Hufflepuff cup from her bag and held it out for Ron.

"No, you do it, Hermione," He smirked, "You haven't had the pleasure yet."

"And I'm not sure I want it." she frowned at the cup.

Taking it out of her hands, Ron set it down on the ground before gently taking her hand and pulling her towards the cup; situating a basilisk fang in her hand to do the deed. "Go on, Mi, it's your turn. Send that cursed relic into oblivion."

Looking back at her friend, Hermione sent a silent plea to whoever was listening that the evil in the cup would not pick up on anything about her and Snape, gathered her Gryffindor courage and stabbed the cup.

As soon as she did, black smoke emanated from the melting chalice and an eerie moan echoed through the chamber. Suddenly all the water around them turned into an angry tidal wave that was hell bent on swallowing them whole.

Hermione screamed before grabbing the hand of a petrified Ronald Weasley and sprinting to the chamber's entrance.

Through the door, Ron and Hermione moved to slam it shut with all their might before the cursed waters got to them. They had made it just in time because as the heavy door was inch or so away from being closed, water sprayed out of the unsealed edges.

Once the door closed and locked itself, Ron and Hermione leaned their backs to it and slid to the ground, panting.

"Once this is all over, I'm sleeping for a month." the witch stated as her hands absently moved to rub her stomach; feeling for her bond with her son and hoping that he was doing alright with all this exertion.

"Only after eating one of mums Sunday dinners," Ron heaved a sigh. "Roast beef, Yorkshire pudding... Cottage pie!" He moaned before smiling at Hermione and nudging her shoulder. "Yet another horcrux out of our hair. We're making progress."

Hermione suddenly became all too aware of how close they were to each other at that moment.

Ron looked as if he wanted to say something but just as he opened his mouth, he was cut off by the echo of a hissing voice.

_**"I know that you are preparing to fight."**_

Hermione's eyes went wide as she looked around; terrified to think Voldemort was only feet away from them.

_**"Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood."**_

"He cast a sonorus charm on himself!" Ron stated as he grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her up.

_Gods, I must be way out of it. Why hadn't I thought of the obvious? Focus, focus, focus!_

_**"Give me Harry Potter, and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter and you will be rewarded."**_

Ron's eyes bulged as he stared at her, "You don't think anyone in the school would do that, do you? Apart from Snape and the Carrows, I mean."

As much as it pained her to say it, Hermione did her best to speak with a sturdy voice. "If Voldemort is making deals, that most likely means that Snape is incapacitated and the Order gained control of the school." She tried not to dwell on any and everything that could have happened to the dark wizard. "It also stands to reason that if he's attempting to sweeten the pot, there are, in fact, witches and wizards still in the school who might be swayed."

_**"You have until midnight."**_

"Quick, we have to get out of here and back to Harry! I have to check on my family!" Ron quickly bent over and gathered the basilisk fangs, handed them to Hermione to store in her beaded bag and helped her up the uneven rock wall to get back to the sewer pipe that led to the second floor girls' bathroom.

**0o0o0o0**

It was frenzied chaos, all of it; their surroundings, their emotions, their thoughts. Or maybe it was just Hermione who felt like an anxious ball of terrified confusion as they sprinted through the castle.

Somehow, she doubted she was alone in this mass jumble of emotion, though. Side glancing Ron, she saw tears mix with rivulets of sweat as they slid down his freckled face.

Breathlessly following Harry as they turned from one corridor to the other, the tired witch reflected briefly.

She had moved into the bowels of the castle to retrieve basilisk fangs, destroyed a horcrux, found Harry relatively safe and sound..._kissed Ron_...helped Harry locate the diadem, ran from cursed fire, and watched a close friend's life get blinked out of being all in the span of three hours.

It was so unfair. Why Fred? Why any of them? They were far too young for all of this carnage!

_And obviously too muddled to cope with it properly!_ Hermione thought as they wound their way through a large battle; making their way out to the grounds.

Along with her reflection, the witch tried to rationalize why she practically tackled Ron with a kiss. She was still very sure that she didn't harbor any romantic feelings for him. It was just that he had been so brilliant what with the way he was problem solving and thinking of things that had her seeing him in a new light.

She had always thought Ron was smart and she stood by what she told him months ago. He was indeed a great wizard in possession of fine abilities...

Respect was the word she finally settled on. That was what she was feeling for her redheaded friend, a new level of respect and a fair amount of pride. It was not that she didn't have any respect for him before but he really stepped up in the last few hours.

Her thoughts were disrupted by an almost run in with a giant before Grawp went after the brute.

_Gods, now is not the time for introspection! Focus, you dizzy cow!_

They ran through the grounds that served as area where light and dark clashed savagely, trying to get to the Shrieking Shack; hurling curses and dodging hexes.

Trying not to die while attempting to force air into her burning lungs was an enormous feat and honestly, Hermione didn't know how any of them were still standing.

The witch followed the boys as they sprinted around Acromantulas, Snatchers, Death Eaters and Giants; closing in on the Whomping Willow.

That was when they were hit with yet another dark force; one that drained every bit of happiness within them until all that was left were fears and overwhelming sorrow.

Hermione felt the icy closeness of Dementors even before she saw them. In her head, she heard her parents' screams, Snape's raspy last breaths and the cry of a child sputtering into nothingness.

Seeing Ron and Harry's steps falter along with hers, the witch knew she wasn't alone in feeling fear cripple her. She turned around and shouted at Harry -who seemed to be suffering the most from the arrival of the Dementors- until her voice cracked.

Seeing Ron try and cast his Patronus, she followed suit only to see her otter evaporate in mid air.

She was shocked when she saw a silvery hare, boar and fox run between her and Ron to chase of the dark shadows bearing down on them. Turning, she was surprised and very happy to see Luna, Ernie and Seamus running towards them.

That was all the reassurance she needed at that moment and it seemed to do loads of good for Harry and Ron as well, for all of them called upon their Patronuses again and the combined force had the Dementors receding back into the Forbidden Forest.

Unfortunately, there was no time to celebrate the small victory as another giant forced them all to scatter and run their separate ways. Hermione sent out a silent prayer to whoever might be listening to keep Ernie, Seamus and Luna safe as she , Ron and Harry made a beeline to the very active Whomping Willow.

**0o0o0o0**

_No! Oh Gods no! Voldemort going to kill him... he's going to kill Severus!_

Hermione covered her mouth to muffle a strangled sob and keep herself from verbalizing what was being said in her head as she looked on at Voldemort circling her Severus; the eerie glow of Nagini's cage throwing both wizards' features in deep relief.

_**"My Lord-"**_

_**"The Elder Wand can't serve me properly, Severus, because I am not its true master. The Elder Wand belongs to the wizard who killed its last owner. You killed Albus Dumbledore-"**_

_Oh no! Nonononononono...!_

Hermione began rocking back and forth behind the crates that were serving as their hiding place; wanting badly to jump out and help Severus in some way but she felt Ron's hand grip her upper arm to keep her where she was.

_**"My Lord!" Severus protested, raising his wand.**_

_**"It cannot be any other way," Said Voldemort. "I must master the wand, Severus. Master the wand, and I master Potter at last."**_

Hermione watched in horror as Voldemort slashed the wand through the air. She expected green smoke to come out but nothing happened. She saw Snape jerk infinitesimally before looking slightly relieved.

But then Voldemort looked to his snake floating about in its spherical cage and time seemed to stop for the young witch as she put the pieces together and knew what was going to happen next.

The ugly hissing coming from Voldemort's mouth was distant as Hermione's entire focus was on who all her future hopes and dreams centered; silly or not.

She watched Snape as he squared his shoulders, ready to accept his fate before tears blurred her vision. As Nagini's cage sailed through the air at the dark wizard, Hermione covered her face with her hands as her shoulders shook with her silent sobs.

And she kept her hands covering her face until she felt Harry leave the feeble safety of their hiding place and the invisibility cloak. To her astonishment, Snape was still alive but bleeding profusely. Her eyes rounded as she watched the dark wizard begin to pull white wisps from his temple.

_**"Take... it... Take... it..."**_

Almost on autopilot and still crying heavily, Hermione conjured a jar and shoved it in Harry's hands.

Hermione looked on with tears freely flowing from her eyes as Harry collected the memories Snape offered him; practically paralyzed with grief. When she heard Snape's voice rasp 'Look at me' to Harry, it sounded entirely too much like what she'd heard in her mind with the Dementors. That was what spurred her to move from her hiding place. Watching the man she cared for die without even attempting to help would not do.

Clumsily, Hermione shuffled on her hands and knees to the spot where Snape lay bleeding and pulled Harry out of the way.

Snape's onyx orbs stared unfocused at her as he struggled to breathe.

Biting her lower lip to stifle a sob, the witch grasped Snape's neck and applied pressure to his wound. "Hold on, Severus," her lips quivered as she tried to smile, "You're going to be just fine."

"Really, how do you figure? Half his throat is missing!" Ron looked on.

"Shut up, Ron!" She turned to Harry. "Grab me my bag...NOW!"

With a jolt, Harry moved to find the witch's bag which was on the ground behind the dusty crates. "Hermione, we can't help him... we don't have time!"

The long, slender fingers of Snape's right hand came up to cover hers at his wound. "Her...mi-ne..." His voice was baseless and garbled by his own blood as it sputtered out of his mouth.

Hermione felt a slight squeeze of his hand on hers. "Shh, it's alright. I'm going to help you. Don't talk, just concentrate on breathing." She turned to Harry who was now kneeling next to her with her bag. "Accio the dittany, bezoar, blood replenisher and pain potion! Do it, Harry! Quickly!"

"This is ridiculous, Mione! He's a fucking traitorous Death Eating scum bag!" Ron roared. "Why take the time to save his pathetic life? Why him after we saw so many others fall tonight?" His voice cracked, "Fred...we didn't help _Fred_!"

Quickly applying the dittany to Snape's neck to close up the wound, Hermione popped the bezoar stone into his mouth and urged him to swallow it. She answered Ron without ever taking her eyes off of Snape, nor did she pause her efforts to try and save him. "Ron, there was nothing we could do for Fred. There was nothing we could do for so many. But we _can _help Snape!" Her voice was stronger than it was moments before as she worked to get Snape to swallow some of the potions.

The dark wizard was still conscious but his eyes were distant and fading.

Hermione did her best to stay positive.

"But _him_? He doesn't deserve our help! FUCK HIM! WE STILL HAVE TO KILL THAT SNAKE!"

"I CAN'T JUST _LEAVE _HIM!" the witch screamed; voice cracking with the weight of her vehemence.

It was silent for a moment as Hermione continued to work frantically on Snape; re-tying his silk cravat to keep pressure on his wound. Skin healed or not, there was still poison in his blood. The pressure would slow it from spreading.

"So that's it, then. You'll have all these people die defending the school...defending us while we _don't _even try to accomplish our task..." Harry stood and glared down at the witch. "All of our work... gone... just to save _him_?" He shook his head, "I'm sorry, Hermione, but nothing and no one is worth abandoning our only chance to end Voldemort... _especially _Snape!"

Hermione stared into Severus' obsidian depths as more tears fell down her cheeks; her duty to her friends and the cause warred with her need to help the father of her child and object of her affection.

Just then, Voldemort's voice hissed over the grounds.

_**"You have fought valiantly."**_

Hermione grasped Snape's hand as she looked to a boarded window and listened to the high, slippery voice of Voldemort.

_**"Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste."**_

Clenching her jaw, Hermione shook her head in disgust. _If it was such a waste, why spill blood at all? Fucking wanker!_ She looked back down to Severus and brushed away the hair from his ghostly pale face.

_**"Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured."**_

"One hour," Ron spoke up as he looked around the room to Harry and Hermione, "then what?"

_**"I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself."**_

Hermione jumped slightly as Harry punched the nearest wall in his anger.

_**"I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommenced. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."**_

Harry punched the wall again, "FUCK!"

_**"Don't listen to him," said Ron. **_

"And what do you think I should do?" Harry shouted before forcing a few deep breaths.

"Damnit Hermione! We're running out of time!" Ron shouted as he turned to her.

Harry paced anxiously, "I'm done standing around while you play medi-witch!" He started towards the tunnel.

"Where are you going?" Hermione shrieked.

"TO FINISH THIS, HERMIONE! IT MAY HAVE ESCAPED YOUR NOTICE BUT THERE'S A WAR ON!" Harry shouted back at her; his green eyes glittering intensely with his fury. "VOLDEMORT JUST CALLED ME OUT! IF I DON'T SHOW AND HE JOINS THE BATTLE, IT WILL BE A MASSACRE!" He shook his head, "I REFUSE TO LET THAT HAPPEN!"

The witch tried not to cringe at her friend's temper or snap back. With a deliberately repetitious voice, she asked, "What about Snape's memories?"

"Here we go again with _Snape_!" Ron spat as he looked coldly down at her.

Hermione's eyes narrowed, "Well, he gave Harry his memories for a reason. I'd imagine they were pretty important if he gave them in the middle of a fucking battle while bleeding out on this disgusting floor!" She turned to Harry and said with a bit less bite, "You should find a Pensive and view those memories."

"You heard Voldemort; I've only got an hour!"

"Then I suggest you hurry to the Head office!" Hermione bit out; still kneeling next to Snape and holding his hand.

Ron glared at her, "And what about you? Just gonna give up, are you...? Abandon us when we need you the most for a snake that probably won't live to see the sunrise?"

Hermione head snapped up to glare menacingly at the redhead. "FUCK YOU, RON! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SPEAK TO ME ABOUT _ABANDONING _ANYTHING!"

Ron's mouth snapped shut with an audible click as his eyes dropped to his shoes.

Turning to Harry, she said with honesty, "I give you my word; I'll be along in a minute. I've been with you every step of the way; I will not abandon you now. I just need a moment to make sure Snape is stable and I'll be on my way. I swear."

After a short pause, Harry finally nodded and clapped Ron on the shoulder. "Come on, we have less than an hour now."

Ron stared at the witch bent over the dark wizard for a second longer before nodding and following Harry.

"Harry, wait! The wards are down, just apparate to the Head office." The witch spoke hastily.

"Now why hadn't anyone thought of that before we sprinted across the grounds all the way here?" Ron asked; disgruntled.

"What's done is done; at least we can use it to our advantage now." Harry stated before looking down at the witch on the ground. "Thanks, Mione."

Two apparition cracks later and Hermione was alone in the decrepit, dingy shack with the man of her dreams; literally if not exactly figuratively.

Hermione heaved a shaky sigh before looking down at Snape who's eyes seemed to be fading even more, they almost looked devoid of any life. "Severus? Severus, can you hear me?"

He didn't seem to acknowledge her.

Bending low, the witch put her ear to his nose and mouth; listening for his breath. It was shallow and barely there. "Severus, you arsehole, don't you dare die on me!" Breaking down, Hermione let herself cry freely once more as she tunneled her fingers through the dark wizard's raven locks.

"I did not come all this way to watch you die, you tosser!" Hermione stated after her sobs subsided and she wiped her tears away. Staring down into Snape's black eyes, she bent down and pressed her lips to his; wishing desperately that he would return it.

But as much as she wanted to drag him out of this depressing shack, get him the medical treatment he needed and curl up beside him forever, she had a mission to see to. It broke her heart to say what she had to say next.

"I have to go. I don't want to, I want to stay with you but Harry is right. We have a chance to end Voldemort, a real shot at winning this war. I have to go and make sure our task gets done." She sniffled, not knowing if Severus could hear or even understand her at the moment. She hoped against hope that he did.

Kissing him one more time, Hermione reluctantly stood. "Severus Snape, if you die, I'm going to give you such _hell_!" Gathering up her beaded bag, the witch decided to leave all the potions on the off chance that Snape became cognizant and was able to medicate himself.

She pulled out Bellatrix's wand and cast a cushioning charm on the dingy floor before wiping her face of the last remnants of her distress and cleared her throat. "I promise to come back for you as soon as I can. Rest now, it will all be over soon."

Taking a deep breath, Hermione squared her shoulders and apparated before she lost her resolve.

**0o0o0o0**

**WTF! She left him? Ain't that a bitch!**

**More is on the way!**

**Thanks for reading.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.**

**Thank you **_**Monkeywand**_**!**

**Endless thanks to everyone reading.**

****0o0o0o0**  
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Everything seemed so surreal.

It was over. Well and truly over.

Hermione saw Voldemort fall and turn to ash herself.

All the running, all the sleepless nights and the days with little to no food. All the fear and uncertainty. Done. Finished.

She should feel absolute elation. Her best friend went up against the most feared and hated wizard in the world and he lived. The prophecy actually came true. They didn't have to hide anymore. By rights, she should be laughing profusely and doing a jig.

But sitting on top of one of the house tables in the Great Hall that was splintered and broken, Hermione Granger looked around detachedly as the Aurors came in and started rounding up Death Eaters, the professors tending to wounded students, friends hopping around and celebrating even as others lie dead on conjured cots; never to know a world without Voldemort.

She was numb.

Exhausted and numb and trying to make sense of it all.

How could she not be happy? She, Harry and Ron made it through together, alive and with relatively little injury.

How could she not be absolutely devastated? Fred was gone. Her honorary brother would never pull a prank on her again.

Remus, so gentile and caring. Tonks, always optimistic and vivacious. _They will never know their son._

Little Colin Creevey. _Way too young._

So many others dead, countless injured.

Lavender Brown -if she survives- will have to suffer with lycanthropy for the rest of her life. Alicia Spinnet lost her legs to an Acromantula. Padma Patil was suffering from second and third degree burns while Terry Boot looked as though he may never see again…

The list went on.

Hermione watched the Weasleys gathered around Fred's covered body even as Ginny practically tackled Harry with kisses.

Emotions ran high in such varying degrees; it practically spun one's head.

Watching her friends celebrate coming together once again had Hermione thinking of a certain someone she wished to have a reunion with.

Suddenly, her hazy numb detachment evaporated as she remembered Severus.

_Holy Crickets!_ She jumped off the table and looked around frantically.

Taking a few steps to the doors of the Great Hall, the witch jumped slightly as a hand clasped over her left shoulder. She whirled around to see Professor McGonagall looking at her with concern.

"Miss Granger, how are you? Are you injured?"

Shaking her head, Hermione attempted a smile. "No Professor. It's nothing I can't handle. I'm, I'm glad to see you're okay."

"The sentiment is mutual, my dear, but you look awfully pale, you're shaking and you're covered in blood!"

Hermione looked down to notice for the first time that her hands, jacket sleeves and knees were caked with blood. "Uh...it's... It's not my blood."

McGonagall gave her a sorrowful look. "Well, I really would feel better if you would go over to Madam Pomfrey for a quick once over." The elderly witch turned to point out the medi-witch in the crowd.

_If she cast anything on me, she'll find out I'm pregnant!_ Hermione took a few steps back, "Oh, no, she looks entirely too busy with people who actually need her help. I'm fine, really, just tired and coming off of an adrenaline high. A shower and some sleep is all I need. Thank you for your concern, though."

Minerva looked at the petite witch strangely for a moment before nodding and moving to check on Neville who looked dazed as Seamus and Dean were talking to him.

Would-be crisis averted, Hermione focused on her task. She needed to get to Snape quickly but the Aurors cast anti-apparition wards on the Great Hall as soon as they entered. She would at least have to make it outside before apparating back to the Shrieking Shack.

With her eyes on the entrance, the witch moved with purpose until Ginny stepped into her path and pulled her into an oxygen depriving hug.

"Hermione! I can't thank you enough!" The ginger-headed witch cried.

Gasping for air, Hermione tried to pry herself from Ginny's powerful grip, "Why?"

Ginny pulled away and looked at Hermione as if she were crazy even as she wiped away her tears and sniffled. "What do you mean 'why'? What, are you completely mental? You brought Harry back to me!"

"And Ron," Harry chimed in.

Ginny nodded absently, "Yeah, him too."

Hermione shook her head, "No. Harry brought Harry back to you." She looked over Ginny's shoulder to give Harry a smile which he returned. "And Ron can hold his own as well."

"Oh, don't be daft! I don't doubt my Harry's abilities, but you kept him out of trouble. You kept both of them from doing something completely stupid that would have gotten them killed."

Harry made a sound of protest. "That sounds an awful lot like doubt, love."

Ginny turned to her boyfriend; "I'm quite sure you misunderstand, my love." she turned back to Hermione. "I don't even know how to thank you or...return the favor."

"It was really nothing, Gin. He's…they're both as good as my brothers. I was watching over them for as much my benefit as yours."

"But still..."

_I have to get to Severus! _Hermione's mind screamed. "Thanks really isn't necessary but if you want to return the favor, you could cover for me. I need to...check on something and I don't want anyone worried or sending a search party for me." The witch looked to Harry who seemed to understand what she was saying.

"Is it dangerous, Mi? Because if it is, you can just fuck off! I'll not have you putting yourself in danger again!" Ginny barked with worry written all over her face until Harry came up and rubbed her shoulders.

"It's fine, Ginny. Hey, I think you should go comfort Ron. He looks in a bad way."

All three of them turned to see Ron bent over Fred's covered body, crying, as George -equally distraught- was patting Ron's back and whispering something to him.

Ginny's tears started up again as she looked to Hermione and then back to her boyfriend.

"Go on. I'll be there in a second." Harry kissed her cheek and nodded encouragingly.

The redhead nodded before giving Hermione another hug and making her way over to her broken family.

Hermione gave Harry a grateful smile before trying to move to the doors again.

He stopped her.

"Harry, I don't have _time_! It's already been long enough. I have to see if he's alive!" the witch's voice cracked and she willed the tears gathering in her eyes not to fall.

"I know, I just... I wanted to say... um, you were right. You were right about Snape all along. He has been on our side from the start, or, as long as we've been alive anyway."

Hermione smiled but it was far from happy. "Maybe, once I make sure he's actually okay; I'll come around to do some sort of 'I-told-you-so' victory dance."

"I'm looking forward to it." Harry smirked sadly and gave his friend a hug before letting her go on her way.

Making it all the way to the double doors, Hermione could feel her anxiousness bubbling up within her only to be deflated as a tall Auror with a square jaw and a stern look on his face stopped her.

"And where do you think you are going?"

Frowning; about at her wits end with interruptions, Hermione spat back, "Out, and I would appreciate it if you moved out of my way."

The Auror scoffed. "I suppose you fancy yourself princess of this castle? You can't just go anywhere you feel, little girl. Hogwarts has structural damage on every level and Aurors are still sweeping the grounds to make sure it's safe. This is the best place for you at the moment so how about you skip on back to your little friends." He made a 'shooing' gesture with his hands, "Off with you now."

Hermione saw red. Squaring her shoulders, the witch gave the Auror a piece of her mind. "Excuse me but who in the bloody hell are you to tell me what to do? I know that this castle has damage to every level because _I_ was here, _fighting _for my life and the lives of all my friends! Where in the _fuck_ were you? My 'little friends' and I were fighting a war, _WAR_, against grown witches and wizards while you and your mates were probably sitting on your duffs somewhere, sipping tea! So excuse me if I want a bit of fresh air and I don't listen to a word you say because, frankly, I'm doing as I please and you can shove your authoritative nonsense up your arse!" By the end, she was panting with her anger. Taking a step towards the tall Auror, she shouted, "MOVE!"

The blue eyes of the tall Auror bulged and his square jaw clenched before he stepped aside.

The witch moved passed him.

"Auror Truth. That's my title and I shall _thank _you to use it in the future." The man grumbled as he watched the petite witch head to the main doors.

Hermione stopped and turned before giving the Auror an exaggerated smile and speaking overly sweetly, "And I shall _thank _you to piss off!" With that, she made her way out of the castle and safely behind some rubble so no one could see her apparate.

**0o0o0o0**

She reappeared only feet away from a bloody black heap in the creaking, perpetually swaying shack on the outskirts of Hogsmeade.

Holding her breath, Hermione's eyes zeroed in on Snape's chest in hopes to see movement.

She saw none.

Moving to his side, the witch dropped to her knees and situated her ear close to his nose and mouth once more.

Nothing.

"No," Hermione shook her head as she moved away enough to look at Severus, "no, baby, don't do this to me. Come on..." She touched his sallow cheeks and noted with a spark of hope that he was still warm.

Quickly recalling the muggle CPR course she took with her dad before fourth year -the same summer they went camping- the witch attacked the dark wizard's multi-buttoned frock coat; cursing the bobbles for being so damned difficult. After the fifth one, she gave up and tore the rest of the coat open before doing the same to the bloodied dress shirt underneath; exposing his scarred, pale chest.

Hermione's lower lip quivered as a new wave of affection swelled within her for the dark wizard. Underneath his cravat, caked with his blood, was the necklace she had given to him. _He's still wearing it!_ Her heart skipped a beat. "You're still wearing it!" She had to verbalize her thoughts.

Placing her hand over his heart, Hermione gave a trill of happiness when she felt his heart beating. It was sluggish and faint but it was there. "Yes! That's right, you better hold on! Keep fighting, Severus, or I'll hex you!" Wiping her tears away, the witch moved her hands to situate his head; attempting to open his airway. Reluctantly, she untied his cravat before pinching his hooked nose and bending down to seal his mouth with hers; pushing air into his deprived lungs twice.

She knew the compressions to breath ratio was two breaths every thirty compressions, but Severus' heart was beating, he just wasn't breathing for himself. Using her own judgment, she decided to give Severus two breaths every ten seconds.

With her hand over his heart again to make sure it kept beating, the witch counted to ten in her head before bending over and supplying more air to the incapacitated wizard.

She continued this process for two minutes before she realized nothing was going to get better if they stayed in the run down shack. He needed real medical attention. But she was exhausted. She nearly splinched apparating here, Hermione had no clue how she would manage apparating both of them all the way to London.

"I have to try." she told herself after supplying another breath for Snape. "Okay, Severus... You are going to be okay." As a precaution, Hermione put the pain potion and dittany in the pocket of her hoodie as well as grabbing up Snape's discarded wand before breathing for Snape again. "After your next breath, I'll be apparating us and you will get treated and pull through. Severus Snape, you had _better_ pull through!"

After ten seconds went by, Hermione breathed for Snape again before quickly gathering him up in her arms as best she could, sent a silent prayer and disapparated.

**0o0o0o0**

"AAAHHH!"

The witch crumpled to the ground in the St. Mungo's lobby; half under Snape's limp body and bleeding copiously from her calf where she'd splinched.

Gritting her teeth, Hermione tried to focus on what needed to be done first.

_Snape!_

Sucking in a deep breath, she screamed, "HELP! SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, I NEED HELP RIGHT NOW!"

In a flash, two healers and five medi-witches came out of nowhere and swarmed around them.

"What's the matter?" one healer asked.

"It looks like she splinched. What's wrong with him?" the other healer spoke.

Hermione looked up at everyone." Please! He's been bitten by a snake... a cobra of some sort with magical properties. He was bitten at his neck. He isn't breathing."

Three medi-witches got to work as one of the healers began barking out orders.

Hermione watched as Snape was levitated off of her and placed onto a conjured gurney; her eyes only leaving him when the other two medi-witches started poking and prodding her. "NO! No, help him, I'm fine!"

"You've splinched, dear." the second healer stated unnecessarily.

Pulling out the dittany, Hermione hiked up her dingy denims and spread the potion over her leg before uncorking the pain potion and downing the last of it. "There! Right as rain! Now help _him_!" She struggled to stand only to feel herself being levitated into a conjured wheelchair. She scowled at the elderly healer who wasn't tending to Severus.

"Alright," the elderly healer waved her wand and vanished the blood on the lobby floor. "How long ago was your friend bitten?"

The other two medi-witches had left the lobby and Hermione realized that Snape had been moved as well. "Hey! Where is he? Take me to him now, right now!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that. He's been transported to the Dai Llewelln Ward to be treated." The healer who looked a bit like the muggle actress, Judi Dench -only taller with long strawberry blonde locks- smiled kindly to the young witch before continuing. "Now, you brought him here to be treated and we will endeavor to do our best but in order to do that, I need you to answer a few questions to the best of your ability. Can you do that?"

"Yes, whatever. Just help him!"

"Let me ask once more. How long ago was your friend bitten?"

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose. "I don't know! Two-thirty... maybe three this morning."

"Merlin! That long ago? That was nearly...four hours ago. It's a miracle he's still alive!"

"I know! I treated him soon after, to the best of my ability. I put dittany on his wound and gave him pain potions and blood replenishers. I also made him swallow a bezoar. He lost a lot of blood and when I came back to him-"

"You _left_ him! Dear child, why hadn't you brought him here sooner?"

Hermione snapped, "I would have but we were kind of in the middle of a battle!"

The healer gasped. "You mean that battle that broke out at Hogwarts?"

"Yes!"

"We dispatched ten healers there about thirty minutes ago. Do we need to send more?"

"I don't know. I'd imagine so. There were a lot of people injured."

The healer flicked her wand and a silvery dolphin came bursting from the tip and swam through the air down the hall. "Right, now back to your friend. How long had he not been breathing?"

"I don't know? I got back to him fifteen minutes ago. His heart was beating and he was warm but he wasn't breathing. I started CPR-"

"Muggle first aid?"

"I'm muggle-born, so sue me!"

"Quite the contrary. That, amongst your other efforts, may have just saved your friend's life. You certainly increased his chances at any rate." The healer sent of another Patronus and it shot down another hallway. "My name is Healer Stephanie White." She reached out her hand.

Taking the healer's hand, the witch shook it. "Hermione Granger."

"By the Gods! _The _Hermione Granger?"

The young witch froze. The_? How does she know my name?_

Healer White seemed to read Hermione's body language, if not her thoughts, and chuckled. "My dear girl, not a witch or wizard in Great Britain is ignorant to your name. You are one third of the infamous Golden Trio!"

Seeing that the names were starting to garner attention in the hospital lobby, Hermione sunk down in her wheelchair and tried to hide her face with her hands. "Could we go somewhere more… private?"

"Oh, my apologies. We really should get the paperwork started so we can admit you." Healer White waved a medi-wizard over. "Nathan, would you be a dear and escort Miss Granger here down the hall-

"Admitted?" Hermione shook her head and stood; stumbling slightly on her injured leg. All she could think of was someone casting a diagnostic spell on her and finding out she was pregnant. Apparently she was a household name and if it got out that she was with child to the general public before even telling her closest friends...? Well, the thought made her cringe. "No! I don't need to be admitted. I'm fine. Just show me the way to Se-my friend. I want to see him."

"But, dear-"

"NO!" Hermione barked, "Take me to my friend!"

Healer White gave her a disapproving look as she waved away a startled Nathan. "I've already told you, he is being treated and unable to have visitors at the present time."

"When? When will I be able to see him?" Hermione asked but before the healer could answer, the main doors of the hospital opened and a small army of Aurors marched through. To the young witch's chagrin, Auror Truth was leading the pack. She reluctantly flattened herself against the nearest wall; partially because she was making room for the Aurors to pass and partially because she needed to brace herself against something to keep her upright. Her leg _hurt_.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the princess of the castle." Auror Truth said with mock enthusiasm. "What's the matter? Think you're above all your friends and couldn't wait your turn to see a healer so you had come straight here?"

Hermione glared at the tall arsehole of an Auror; biting her cheeks to keep her from saying anything.

"What, no more cheeky come backs in your little arsenal?" Auror Truth asked with a smirk.

"Excuse me, sir, but I should hope you are taking up half of the hospital's lobby for more than egging on a patient." Healer White's tone took command of the situation and got the attention of all the Aurors, including Auror Truth.

He cleared his throat and stepped to the elderly witch. "Yes, excuse me madam-"

"Healer White." The elderly witch interrupted; still glaring at the tall man.

"Healer White, of course. I apologize, but I'm to follow up on lead. I have just recently received a Patronus from one of the healers here stating that he was treating a Severus Snape."

Hermione's eyes bulged. _Oh... Shit!_

Healer White gasped. "Snape? You-Know-Who's right hand?"

Truth nodded, "The same. We are here to validate this claim before making an arrest."

_Arrest? No, oh no! _Hermione bit her lip and looked around to count the heads of nine Aurors with their wands in hand; awaiting orders. _Shit, shit, shit! _She had to do something, anything to help Severus. _He is on our sidet; he doesn't deserve to go to Azkaban!_

"Yes, of course. But if he is being treated here, you will wait until he's discharged to transport." Healer White said with an air of stern finality that reminded Hermione of McGonagall.

"But Healer-"

"No buts. I will let you validate the claim but you will have to wait to cart him off to Azkaban until he is discharged from our care."

The tall Auror's square jaw clamped shut as he spoke with forced calm. "Healer White, I don't believe you fully understand the gravity of this situation. This is Severus Snape we are talking about here! Now that You-Know-Who is dead, he is at the top of the Auror's most wanted list-"

"I understand the situation just fine, Auror...?"

"Truth. Ceslav Truth."

"Well, Auror Truth, as I've said, I understand the situation just fine and it changes nothing. You will be able to make your arrest but will have to wait until St. Mungo's has discharged Mr. Snape to take him anywhere; provided the allegations are true of course."

"Healer White, I really must protest and I would like to speak with the director of this hospital posthaste."

The elderly witch smiled. "You are speaking with her. I am Head-Healer Stephanie White, in charge of St. Mungo's hospital."

"Then I would like to speak with your superior." Truth ground out.

"To speak with my superior, you would have to go back to the Ministry and sift through sordid corruption and rampant chaos. By the time you find someone who is even remotely credible, I'm sure Mr. Snape will have already be treated and discharged."

Truth was silent for a moment before he asked, "Can we, at least, validate the claim."

Healer White nodded, "Absolutely. What was the name of the healer that made the claim?"

"Healer..." Truth pulled out a scrap of parchment from his brown robes, "Skunkcap. Healer Augustus Skunkcap."

"Healer Skunkcap works on the first floor in the Dai Llewelln Ward. Nathan?" Healer White waved over the awkward looking medi-wizard again. "Please show Auror Truth to the Dai Llewelln Ward."

Truth nodded to the young medi-wizard before turning to the other Aurors, "Let's go, boys."

"I think not." Healer White stopped the other Aurors. "This, gentlemen, is a hospital filled with patients that do not need to be disturbed by your stomping about!" She turned to Truth, "I have every faith in your abilities to recognize Mr. Snape on your own."

"He's dangerous!" Truth spat irritably; clearly losing his patience.

"And, if he's in the Dai Llewelln Ward, he should hardly pose a threat! Either you can go alone with Nathan, or you can turn around and vacate my hospital!" the elderly witch retorted.

Grudgingly, Truth followed the medi-wizard while the other Aurors moved to take their seats on the weathered blue plastic chairs on the other side of the lobby.

Pulling a loose strand of her strawberry blonde hair back behind her ears, Healer White cleared her throat and turned back to speak with the young witch. "I think we need to speak about your _friend_ now, Miss Gra-" she frowned, "Miss Granger?" Looking around the lobby, all the elderly witch saw were the Aurors. "Huh..." After looking once more, the Head-Healer shrugged and moved down the hall to the lift.

No one in the lobby noticed the shimmering tell-tale sign of disillusionment by the wall, next to the main doors. Just like no one batted an eye at the main doors opening and then closing, seemingly of their own volition.

**0o0o0o0**

Hermione limped down the busy London street and ducked into the first alley she came to before lifting the disillusionment charm.

Leaning heavily against brick wall, sliding down to the dirty ground; letting out soul wrenching sobs.

She was crying for the fallen, the ones who were injured and everyone else who had to be put through such appalling circumstances.

Hermione was dragging but she wasn't done yet.

She knew that she had to get somewhere to clean up and rest before she plotted on how to help Severus; provided he pulled through.

_First thing is first,_ Hermione nibbled on her lower lip, _I have to find a place to stay and check on my little one._

Staring out of the alley, the witch watched muggles tread through morning rush hour -blissfully unaware- for an undetermined amount of time before she sighed and gazed down at her bloody hands. Clutched in her right hand were both Bellatrix and Severus' wands.

Bella's wand was cracked in several places and the young witch gathered that it must have broken when she and Severus landed inelegantly at St. Mungo's. She broke the horrid wand in half and threw it towards a nearby dumpster before turning her attention to the other wand. It seemed as if it was in near pristine condition as she surveyed it. Snape's wand was a half inch longer than her old wand and very sturdy, made of ebony. Its magic felt springy in her hand and powerful; almost too powerful. It wasn't a perfect match for her but the wand seemed to recognize Hermione as a suitable companion and she realized this was as close to perfect she could ever come to without Ollivander making her a custom wand.

Trying a few simple spells to acquaint herself with Snape's wand, Hermione finally disillusioned herself again.

Mind made up, the battered witch limped a few blocks over to the muggle hospital. Once she was behind a parked ambulance in the drive next to the emergency room, the witch made herself visible again and hid Snape's wand in her beaded bag. Moving through the sliding doors, she made it to the check in desk and got the attention of the caramel complected woman in blue scrubs. "Excuse me? I need help."

The woman looked up before gasping.

"I've, um… I've been in an accident and… I'm pregnant."

That was more than enough to get the nurse whirling in a flurry of movement as she called multiple people over the intercom.

It wasn't long before Hermione found herself on a gurney and being wheeled through the doors to the treatment center.

"Please check on my baby." Hermione spoke to all the faces crowding above her. Seconds later, the witch lost consciousness.

**0o0o0o0**

**More coming soon! I swear, but…it may be a few days… (Wince) … Don't hate me but I do have to give my beta time to work her magic.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.**

_**Monkeywand**_**, you're a peach!**

**Thank you to everyone reading this fic!**

**Reviewers, I luv you! No, really, I do! Every single one of you rocks my face off! ;-P**

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**3rd of May, 1998**

Blearily, Hermione awoke to incessant beeping and the sound of whispered chatter even as her nose was bombarded with the distinct smell of disinfectant.

Creasing her brow, the young witch cracked one eyelid open and looked around. She noticed that she was in a room similar to the Hogwarts infirmary, only smaller. It was a room with six beds and only three -including hers- were occupied.

As sleep slowly receded, memories of how she came to be in this noticeably muggle hospital came back to her.

The Gringotts break in, the Hogsmeade close call, Neville and the Room of Requirement as well as the Chamber of Secrets and the battle.

Screwing her eyes shut, Hermione tried to temper a fresh wave of grief for all her friends who had fallen.

_Friends!_

The witch jumped at the thought of Harry, Ron and Ginny wondering where she was. She didn't even know what day it was. That thought sparked a few more worries. The first was the wellbeing of her son and the second was the wellbeing of his father.

As an overly smiley brunette came into the room Hermione was sharing with the other two patients, she sat up in bed. "Um, excuse me, nurse?"

The peppy nurse came over to her. "Well, hello sleepyhead! How are you feeling?"

"Uh... o-okay, I guess." _Holy Hades, this woman has entirely too much spunk! _Hermione thought before asking, "How long have I been here?"

The brunette moved to the foot of Hermione's bed and lifted up a chart. "Let's see. You were admitted yesterday morning around half eight for extreme dehydration, exhaustion, hypotension and anemia." Setting down the chart, the nurse moved back to Hermione's side. "Also, for being eighteen weeks pregnant and being severely underweight." The overly bright nurse stuck out her hand, "My name's Sunny, I'll be taking care of you today."

"Sunny?"

"Nickname. My real name is Sundra but everyone calls me Sunny for my 'overly chipper' attitude. But enough about me how are you this bright afternoon? Might I enquire as to your name?"

Making up a name quickly, Hermione mumbled, "Jean Gardener... And you said I was admitted yesterday?"

_Oh no, oh no, oh no! Please let Severus still be at St. Mungo's!_

"Yes. Been asleep the whole time. We've been pumping you full of fluids via I.V. but since you're up, would you like to try eating some food? Nothing overly much, some jello and ice chips perhaps?" Sunny asked with a beaming smile.

Hermione nodded absently. "I guess, but I really would like to know about my baby?"

"I'll inform Dr. Hummer that you are awake and he should be around to talk to you in an hour or so. In the mean time, how about that jello?" Sunny asked with a grin but before Hermione could answer, there was a tap on the window of the room. Sunny looked up and pointed. "Odd, that. Those owls have been at that window all shift. Tamara, the night nurse said that big evil looking one perched itself there halfway through her shift."

The young witch turned to the window that was right next to her bed and saw three owls looking distinctly agitated as they ruffled their feathers and stared balefully at her. One of them she knew; Pig. Turning back to Sunny, Hermione spoke, "I would like some jello very much but could you tell me where my clothes are?" She had noticed quickly that she was dressed only in a backless medical gown.

Sunny frowned for the first time since entering the room. "Oh, I'm sorry dear, but all your clothes were soiled beyond repair, the nurses in the emergency room disposed of them."

"WHAT?"

"Shh, shh, please respect the other patients." Sunny admonished lightly. "I'm sorry," she moved to the small drawer next to Hermione's bed, "but they did send up your little bag."

Hermione heaved a sigh of relief as she took her beaded bag from the nurse. "Thank you, sorry." As Sunny left, the witch slid out of bed to close the curtain around her little part of the room.

Opening her bag, she accio'd Severus' wand and some real clothes.

Casting a quick _scourgify_ over her person, Hermione quickly dressed herself in some lightweight black yoga pants, white tee and an Oxford pull over that used to be her dad's; having to magic her bra, top and hoodie on so she wouldn't rip out her I.V.

Dressed and feeling a bit more human, the witch took the I.V. stand with her and moved to the window to take her letters from the owls. She winced at the unfortunate fact that two of the letters were howlers.

****0o0o0o0****

As it turned out, one howler was from Ginny and the other was from Harry. Both of them -more or less- were expressing their worry through their angry shrieking. Apparently Harry had told Ginny what she really was up to and she could practically see her redheaded friend going into conniptions at her helping Snape.

Hermione had cast a silencing charm around her portion of the hospital room and listened to her two friends threaten to tear all of Great Britain apart looking for her while she massaged her temples. It was when the both of them threatened harm to Snape for any possible part he played in her disappearance that the young witch set the red envelopes aflame.

The third letter was short and sweet from Gringotts. It stated simply that she was a thief and if it wasn't for her partnership with the wizard that killed Voldemort, the bank would take steps to prosecute her to the fullest extent of the law and seize everything in her vault to help pay for the damages. As it was, however, they only banned her from Gringotts indefinitely and she had until the 5th of May to collect what was hers before it defaulted.

Canceling the silencing charm, Hermione sighed and sat back in her bed.

_I need a plan._

Her hands came up to rub the bulge of her belly. Without the loose hoodies and jackets, it was now very noticeable that the witch was pregnant. She wasn't sporting a beach ball bump but it did look as if she was intentionally poking out her tummy to do an impression of a potbelly pig. Honestly, the only reason she supposed she'd gotten away with it -these last two weeks especially- was simply the fact that everyone's focus was on the war. That and she took to wearing tops that were one or two sizes too big.

_But I can't keep hiding my pregnancy... I don't want to. Telling everyone I'm with child, though, will bring up questions about the father..._.

Hermione stared up at the ceiling as she thought.

_I mean, Harry knows the truth about Snape now. Maybe he could help break the news. Of course, that means telling _him_ the news. But if Harry knows Severus isn't a loyal Death Eater, the worst part of the explanation is void. All I have to explain is how it came about. Maybe Harry could help me clear Snape of the charges against him?_

Hope fluttered around her stomach.

_Whatever was in those memories Severus gave Harry, it was enough for him to understand Snape's true allegiances! It has to be enough to prove to the ministry!_

Hermione nodded to herself.

_That's what I'll do! I'll sign myself out of here, go check on Severus, find Harry and get him to help me._

The curtain pulled back and Sunny came around with a bowl of red jello and a cup of ice chips. "Here we go-" She stopped in her tracks. "Where did you get those clothes from?"

_Shit!_

"From my bag." Hermione tried to sound casually upbeat as she wandlessly enlarged her bag.

Sunny turned and glanced at the beaded bag, "I could have sworn that bag was smaller?"

The witch smiled; willing the nurse to drop the subject.

"Right, well, I've just caught Dr. Hummer down the hall. He should be in shortly. Can I get you anything else?"

Shaking her head, Hermione went to work on her jello.

Right as she took the last bite of her jiggling snack, the curtain swung open again and a short, stout man walked in her little area with a machine in tow; humming tunelessly.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Hummer. How are you today?"

"Anxious to hear what's going on with my baby." Hermione answered.

"Yes, but before we get to your baby, I want to take a moment to talk about you and your overall health-"

Hermione shook her head, "There is no need, I know how my diet and overall health affects my pregnancy. It's just been... rough these last few months. Things are smoothing out now." The witch mentally patted herself on the back at how easily she had made those words flow from her mouth.

The short, balding man stared at her for a moment before clearing his throat. "Alright, that said, you are eight pounds under the average weight for a woman in your height and age class; never mind being pregnant to boot!"

"Yes, I know!" Hermione snapped, "It shan't be a problem any longer."

Dr. Hummer took a step closer to the bed and lowered his voice, "Miss Gardener, if I may, I've seen this sort of situation many times with young women. I can give you some numbers-"

"Situation? What situation?"

"Look, you're not alone. It doesn't have to be like this, there's help out there for abuse victims."

"_Abuse_?"

"Miss Gardener... the dehydration, malnutrition, the way you came into the hospital, not to mention the marks all over your body... all the signs are there."

Hermione heaved a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Whatever signs you see, trust me, you're reading them wrong. Now can we move along and speak about my baby?"

The doctor gave the girl a skeptical look before stepping back and moving on. "As I've said, you are severely malnourished which means, your baby is as well. We figured that you are approximately eighteen weeks along but your child should be larger. He's 10.2 centimeters and weighs four ounces, roughly. He should be 12.7 centimeters and close to six ounces by now. In the area of organ development, however, your baby seems to be moving along nicely despite that. You should start to feel your little one moving around soon enough. Do you already know the gender?"

"Yes."

"Well, it seems you've got yourself a stubborn little lad; a real fighter. His heart is beating strong and his lungs are developing beautifully-"

"So he's...healthy?"

"Relatively, malnourished but fairing well over all."

"He'll improve once I change my diet and gain more weight, right?"

Dr. Hummer nodded, "And take your prenatal vitamins and don't over exert yourself." he hesitated, "I want to keep you here a few more days to monitor you both. Do an ultrasound and possibly another amniocenteses-"

"No. Actually, I need the paperwork to sign myself out of here right now." Hermione moved to get off of the bed before snagging her I.V. line, "And please get this obnoxious thing out of me!"

"Miss Gardener-"

"Dr. Hummer, I am fully within my rights to leave this hospital any time I see fit. I want to leave now so please get me the papers I need to sign!"

****0o0o0o0****

Not wanting to over-exert herself right out of the gate with apparition, Hermione walked out of the muggle hospital and down four blocks to St. Mungo's.

It had been taxing to say the least to get herself signed out of the hospital, and by the end, she'd had the guilt trip from hell and was feeling like a horrible mother. The only thing that kept her from becoming a hysterical mess was the fact that she was operating within a time restriction. If she wanted to help Severus -and she did- she had to do it before he was in Azkaban. It was more for Snape's sake than anything. She was aware of how barbaric and horrific that prison was through stories and reputation. The last place she wanted to see Severus was in that dump.

Now, only a block from St. Mungo's, the young witch's eyes caught the storefront window to a Greek restaurant and her belly warmed significantly.

"Oooo, gyros!" she caressed her tummy, "Is that what you want, little one?" Feeling a flutter and more warmth, Hermione laughed, "Alright, sweetheart." she headed inside. "How you know what you want when you've never had it before is beyond me."

Gyro already half eaten in her hand, the witch left the restaurant and walked into the main doors of St. Mungo's. From the outside, the magical establishment just looked like an inconspicuous office building and Hermione could feel the wards searching for her magic before letting her pass.

"Welcome to St. Mungo's!" the welcome-witch chirped happily from the information desk in the lobby.

Hermione simply nodded as she finished her gyro on her way to the lifts. She went up one floor, to the Dai Llewelln Ward and readied herself to open the ward doors and find a way to see Severus when said doors burst open; startling the witch.

Head-Healer White came marching out of the ward with her wand high and flanked by two Aurors; looking as if she was levitating something.

Gasping as the black bug-like whatever the healer was levitating turned into the annoying, underhanded, blonde-haired Rita Skeeter, Hermione ducked into an alcove near the lifts and peaked around the corner. The last thing she wanted to deal with was Skeeter. If the bitch saw her, it was almost guaranteed that she would zero in on her baby bump; baggy clothes or not.

"Rita Skeeter! Surely you are not dimwitted enough to think St. Mungo's hasn't put Animagi alarms in place since that fantastic fiasco you stirred up some months back by outing the names of patients that were using these walls as a refuge from the sadism our world provided until recently!" White spat angrily.

Standing from the ground, Rita brushed herself off and spat back, "They aren't patients if they aren't being treated! Over fifty people were faking symptoms to stay within these walls, taking up recourses that they did not need!"

"Says you!"

Rita huffed, "What sort of coward hides from reality? The rest of the world had to cope! _I_ HAD TO COPE!"

"You are, without a doubt, one of the most selfish witches I have ever had the misfortune to meet, Skeeter!" Healer White hissed, "Just because you couldn't find refuge from the horrors You-Know-Who was raining down on our world, you print the names of all those innocent witches and wizards finding shelter and comfort here in that joke you call an article! You know what that article accomplished? A troop of thirty Death Eaters scouring this hospital for those fifty-four names!"

Skeeter actually flinched.

"What you accomplished was having those men, women and children... whole _families _carted off by the devil's helpers only to re-enter this hospital one by one in BODY BAGS!" The elderly witch was beyond incensed. "Every single one of those fifty-four are dead now because of your selfishness! So bravo, you should be very proud. But if you think for one moment that you are going to come back here and dig around for the names of the people occupying these beds to twist their ailments and injuries into a gossip read while shredding their privacy and dignity, you are sorely mistaken!" The Head-Healer took a deep breath before saying in a forced formal tone, "Rita Skeeter, you are officially banned from St. Mungo's Hospital. Indefinitely, in any form."

Rita screeched indignantly as a white wisp left the healer's wand and swirled around her. "You can't do that! What if I get sick or injured?"

"Then go to St. Cailean in Dublin or Ange LeBlanc in Paris but you are _no _longer welcome here. Gentlemen, be of some use and escort Ms. Skeeter out of my hospital."

Hermione was shocked at what a force the elderly witch was. It took her a moment to realize that the two Aurors and Rita were walking her way.

_Shit!_

She fumbled in her bag for Snape's wand but as she did, her fingers brushed against a familiar velvety fabric. Quickly, she pulled out Harry's Invisibility cloak and wrapped it around herself.

"She can't do this! She can't ban me from the only magical hospital within apparating distance!" Rita rambled on as the Aurors guided the witch to the lift.

Hermione waited until the lift doors closed before moving towards the ward doors, which still were open. Once inside, she saw Healer White getting applause from the healers and medi-witches in the vicinity.

"Thank you, thank you, now quiet down and tend to your charges." the elderly witch waved them all off before continuing down the hall.

Seeing who Healer White was walking towards, Hermione quickly followed.

Leaning against the wall outside of a closed hospital room door was Auror Truth and another Auror she did not know. As she and White closed the distance, Truth pushed himself off of the wall and sighed, "Now tell me again why you are wasting my time, your time... everyone's time by healing Snape?"

White shook her head. "It's not a waste of time. He is very ill; poisoned extensively."

"Well, forgive me if I don't shed a tear but the man's a felon, the worst of the worst, actually. He probably had a hand in offing a few of those fifty some odd names you mentioned to that reporter-"

"His past is of no difference to me." the elderly witch said testily.

"Huh... and what of the fact that you are wasting resources and space on the bastard. You are healing him to go to Azkaban. I'm finding it difficult to wrap my head around that particular contradiction." The tall Auror crossed his arms over his broad chest.

"The patient's future beyond these walls has no bearing on how we treat him, Auror Truth! As a member of the medical community, I have taken a vow to treat any and everyone who walks through my doors in need of such assistance. My only concern is treating my patients. Once they are well enough to be discharged, they are no longer my problem."

"Oh, so you're a hypocrite? What you told that reporter goes against what you've just said."

"Oh, don't be so dense! That formal ban was to discourage that pain in the arse to come back. She will now be compelled to seek out another hospital if ever she needs one but, Gods forbid, she came to us bleeding or a hairs breath away from death, of course we would treat her; long enough to stabilize her for transport to another facility anyway. Now, Auror Truth, I've made it crystal clear to you that you will not handle my patient until he is discharged. That is certainly not happening today, or in the next few days for that matter."

Hermione sighed in relief. At least she had some time to try and get Harry to back her in her semi-formed plan.

"As the arresting Auror, I am entitled to know what treatment Snape is undergoing and how long it will take." Truth said in forced calm.

"We have induced a coma on Mr. Snape to help him get through the worst of the poison extraction. We will not lift the spell that put him into a continuous sleep until the end of the week. Come back then."

"Oh no! I'm seeing this thing through to the end!" Truth said hastily. "I'm putting a guard outside his room at all times!"

Healer White smirked, "Because a coma patient poses a threat of escaping."

"Let's just say I'm being thorough."

"As long as your security detail doesn't disturb any of my staff or patients, I will agree to it." The elderly witch continued down the hall.

Hermione watched Truth go back to leaning against the wall next to the other Auror; scowling.

"Ancient cow." Truth mumbled. "I'm not letting this opportunity get away from me, Craig. Once I collar and bring in the Auror's most wanted, the Head Auror position is as good as mine."

The brunette with short, spiked hair spoke with a thick Scottish accent. "Yea', an with Shackbolt up fur Minishter, it's guaranteed."

_That little tosser! This is nothing but a career move for him!_

Truth smirked, "And once I have that spot, you will become my Deputy and we will both move to give Snape the justice he deserves... the Dementors kiss."

Hermione gasped and quickly clamped her hands around her mouth.

Both Aurors looked questioningly across the hall for a long moment before continuing their conversation.

Craig lowered his voice, "Why are you so hell bent on getting this Bashtard? I mean, he deserves it an all, but...?"

The witch watched as Truth's face went dark with malicious intent. "I have more than my fair share of reasons. That's all you need to know." Clearing his throat, Truth straightened his posture. "You take first watch. Don't let anyone who isn't part of the staff through, got it?" he didn't wait for an answer as he stormed off.

_Okay, maybe_ not_ just a career move_.

With no real way of getting into Severus' room without getting caught, Hermione dejectedly turned and made her way back to the ward entrance; making sure not to get in the way of the other hallway occupants. She about jumped out of her skin when a bright blue orb shot out of a room and quickly began to pulse and chant 'Code blue, code blue'. The young witch plastered herself against the wall as medical personnel ran to the room the call originated from.

When the worst of the stampede died down, Hermione took a tentative step away from the wall only to slam back against it in order to get out of the way of Healer White. The speed and force that she flew back to the wall made a sound that the elderly paused briefly at before entering the room.

Emitting a relieved sigh, the young witch continued to the main doors of the ward but peaked inside as she passed the 'code blue' room to see Lavender Brown being worked on by two healers and at least five medi-witches. She looked on as the medical staff worked for a full five minutes to resuscitate Lavender; even to the extent of using muggle means.

Sadly, nothing worked.

At 5:42pm on the 3rd of May, 1998, Lavender Brown was pronounced dead at St. Mungo's hospital.

Crying, Hermione didn't think or care that she opened the ward doors while still under Harry's cloak. What with the most recent tragedy, no one in the ward paid any attention.

****0o0o0o0****

The sky was clear and there was a gentle breeze that wafted the scent of flowers in bloom to Hermione's nose as she sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. She was _so __sick_ of crying!

She had successfully apparated outside the boundaries of the Burrow's anti-apparition line and began to walk up the dirt path to the one of a kind home. Taking a few deep breaths, Hermione prepared for a ginger-headed tornado; knowing full well that all the inhabitants sensed someone breach the wards and would be peaking out to have a look long before she made it to the front door.

Sure enough, Mrs. Weasley opened the front door as she wiped her hands clean with a tattered dish rag. "HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER, WHERE IN THE NAME OF MERLIN _HAVE _YOU BEEN!" the Weasley matriarch screamed as she made her way towards the young witch.

Molly's yelling caught the attentions of Harry, Ron, Gin, George and Charlie. All of them came running out to see what was going on.

Hermione stopped walking all together and braced herself as Mrs. Weasley came bustling up to pull her in a back breaking hug; apparently too flustered to pay any attention to the young witch's slightly protruding stomach.

"Honestly, Hermione, leaving right after the battle without so much as a goodbye, a note...something to keep us from going out of our minds with worry?" Molly's voice cracked.

"I'm sorry, Molly. Honestly, I am. I didn't think I would be gone this long!" the young witch hugged her honorary mum.

Everyone else made it to the scene and clamored to get a hug in; for Ginny, a well placed pinch to Hermione's inner arm.

"Ow!"

"How could you do that?" Ginny barked, "Go off like that without any explanation?"

"I told you and Harry I had to do something."

"Yes, I thought you'd be away twenty minutes or an hour, not a day and a half, Mione!" Gin spat agitatedly.

"You two knew?" Ron asked before turning to Hermione, "What, I'm not worth telling where you go off to these days?"

Hermione tried to diffuse the growing tension. "No, it's not like that. You were…with Fred. I ran into Harry and Gin on my way out of the Great Hall!"

"And what was more important than paying your respects to Fred, huh?" Ron's face was nearly as red as his hair in his growing anger.

"Steady, little brother." Charlie warned.

"I will pay my respects to Fred at his funeral, Ron. I didn't think it was right of me to intrude on such an intimate family moment." But her words were not filtering through Ron's anger.

"You know what, Mi? You can fuck off." He turned and stalked back up the pathway.

"RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY!" Molly shouted as she went after him. "You just wait until your father gets back here, mister!"

George shook his head before smiling sadly at his honorary sister. "Don't worry, Mi, it isn't you."

"No, Ron's been this way ever since we got back from Hogwarts." Charlie explained.

"George, you have to know that I meant no disrespect-"

George held up his hand, "I know you didn't." He hugged her again, "I'm glad you're back."

Charlie smiled, "Yeah, we're glad to see you."

Hermione watched as George and Charlie walked back up the path before turning to two angry friends. "Harry... Gin-"

"Save it, Mi!" Harry said shortly. "Where have you been? Why didn't you stay in touch?" his expression darkened, "Did _Snape_ keep you from keeping in contact?"

"Of course not! Snape is currently in a medically induced coma at St. Mungo's under constant Auror guard, he hasn't forcibly kept me from anything."

"Good, he'll be going to Azkaban then."

"Harry, how could you say that, I thought you finally agreed that Snape was one of the good guys?" Hermione questioned.

Harry frowned, "I never said he was one of the 'good guys', I admitted that he was on our side! Even that's not entirely correct"

"W-what do you mean?"

"It means that the bastard was compelled to be on our side, Hermione!"

"Definitely _not_ the same thing," Ginny spoke heatedly.

The young witch looked from Gin to her messy-haired friend, surprised at the anger radiating off of the both of them. "But...I-I thought...? His memories... you changed your mind about him."

"I didn't change my mind on anything, Mi, only conceded the fact that the greasy git wasn't loyal to Voldemort!" Harry shook his head, "Snape's memories enlightened me to quite a few things but none of them were that he was a 'good guy'."

"So… then what did they enlighten you to?" Hermione crossed her arms; seeing her plan of getting Harry on board to help keep Snape from Azkaban wither before her.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Harry stared at the ground. "That he was determined, dedicated; to his agenda at least. But through and through, he was just a man with a disturbingly unhealthy obsession."

"What are you _talking_ about? And stop talking about him in the past tense, he isn't dead!"

"Fine," Harry was quiet for a long moment before looking up at his friend. "The git is in love with my mother!"

Hermione's eyes went wide and she felt as if she'd been punched in the gut.

"He grew up with her. They were friends. He loves her...still. No," Harry shook his head, "obsessed is more like it. All these years, the only reason he vowed loyalty to Dumbledore, stayed on the side of light... was because of his love for my mum." Harry sighed, "Snape is far from a 'good guy', Mi! He was only fulfilling duties, honoring vows and operating on the fumes of a friendship long gone... an obsession with someone who has been dead nearly _twenty_ _years_!"

The young witch simply stared; unseeing. She heard Harry's words but they were distant. Everything she had hoped for after the war; Severus possibly caring for her, possibly wanting a relationship, wanting to father their child... All of it, fading away.

_This can't be true, it just can't be! But Harry doesn't make a habit of lying..._

A memory hit her upside the head just then. The words spoken so clearly that she could have sworn they were spoken right next to her.

_"Why did you take vows, professor?"_

_"It was the only way I could get the old coot to believe me. I should have told him to sod off... but I was in need of his help..."_

_"Help with what?"_

_"Help protecting something that was important to me. For his efforts, I had to enslave myself to him and his bloody cause. But he could not deliver and I could not get away."_

Hermione gasped.

_...Harry's speaking nothing but the truth! Lily was the 'something important' to Severus! He switched sides and enslaved himself just to save Lily! Nearly eighteen years of spying, beatings and torture... he did it all for Lily!_

Hermione's breath hitched as her vision swam with unshed tears.

_I really was nothing more than a quick lay to him. He's already given his heart, soul...everything to Lily. There is nothing left for me._

Mentally, she chuckled in a self-deprecating way as another part of her gleefully threw salt into her gaping wounds.

_And why in the hell would you think there ever was something for you? It was only a few hours spent in a bloody tent. You threw yourself at him like a Knockturn Alley slag, why wouldn't he take what was given so freely... all in the name of 'comfort'! Gods, you are so ridiculously stupid!_

"Hermione?" Ginny's voice was distant.

"Mione, are you alright?"

Shaking herself back to the present, the young witch's eyes dropped to the ground as she whispered, "Yeah... fine." She wanted to push Harry away when he moved to put his arm around her.

"I know you always want to see good in everyone but with all we've been through, you know that's too idealistically optimistic. Good just isn't _in_ everyone."

That was when Hermione did push Harry away. "So, you're saying that Snape has nothing good in him?"

"If he had, he wouldn't have joined Voldemort or told him the prophecy. No, like every truly slimy Slytherin, he did what he did to benefit him alone!"

The young witch shook her head, getting fed up. "Harry, so what if Snape loves your mum," the words tasted bitter on her tongue, "or that she was the reason behind him going to Dumbledore. That doesn't make him evil!" She didn't know why she was still sticking up for the dark wizard. She was so angry with him and herself!

Harry's voice rose, "No, it doesn't, but it doesn't make him a hero either. His motives were selfish, he was really working for himself!" he scoffed. "And _that_, Hermione, is hardly any better than being on the bad side."

"Really, even if the objectives were the same?"

"But they weren't the same! Snape only looked to save someone who saw through him and stopped being his friend when they were in school! He wasn't thinking passed that point! If it weren't for Dumbledore tying him to his word, Snape probably would have hightailed it ages ago!"

Hermione's eyes narrowed, "But he _accepted _the terms!"

"Because he was _quivering _on his knees in front of Dumbledore!"

"Because he _sought _out Dumbledore!"

"To _scheme _on a way to save my mum!"

"Are you _listening_ to yourself right now?"

Harry glared at her, "Are _you_?"

"Snape _tried_to make things right!"

"Which _he _fucked up in the first place by _telling _Voldemort of the prophecy!"

"Right, which he realized and went, _of his own volition_, to Dumbledore to try and make it right!" Hermione almost screamed. "Don't you get it? Whatever his motives, he realized what he did was wrong and took steps to fix it going through the right channels. He could have just kidnapped your mum and offered you up to Voldemort on a silver platter and that would have been loads easier on him! He may indeed be selfish but that doesn't make him dark." the young witch huffed.

"And do you really think he would have lifted a finger if the prophecy hadn't involved my mother? Picking and choosing who to help isn't right!"

"You need to grow up, Harry! The world isn't split into the good and the bad, light and dark! There are various shades of gray in between!"

"Hermione, stop sticking up for him!"

"Then stop giving me reasons to, Harry!" The witch balled her fists at her side, trying to reign in her temper. It was becoming entirely too overwhelming. Less than twenty minutes ago, she was somewhat secure or at least hopeful that Severus felt something for her and that Harry would help her find a way to keep him out of Azkaban. Now, both were shattered and slicing with unrelenting force through her already tenuous grip on her emotions. "Harry, you already conceded to the fact that Snape was on our side all along, can't you concede to the possibility that he is not as bad as you've always perceived?"

"NO!"

Hermione jumped slightly at his vehemence. "WHY NOT!"

"BECAUSE OF WHAT HE DID TO GINNY!" Harry shouted.

Hermione's anger deflated as her brows knitted together. "What did he do to Ginny?"

"Snape tortured her!" Harry said as he moved to put a protective arm around his girlfriend. "She told me after I told her you went to help Snape. Tell her Gin!"

The usually lively redhead looked decidedly vacant as she spoke, "It's true, Snape tortured me in front of a handful of Slytherins, Lavender and the Carrows for what seemed like hours." She paused to gain more control over her voice.

Hermione felt sick at hearing more of Snape's transgressions; wondering yet again if she was all wrong in putting her faith in his actions.

"…but was actually only forty minutes; all the while making snide comments and insults." Gin's lip quivered, "He caught us out of after curfew. Lavender and I were trying to get to the kitchens for some food. Three first years were in detention with the Carrows, being beaten for most of the evening and were in desperate need of some chocolate to help them out." The redhead shivered, "We were almost there when all of them piled out of the Slytherin common room. He singled me out and laughed, Hermione... LAUGHED as I screamed, cried, retched and pissed all over myself! After, he made me walk all the way back to Gryffindor tower, soiled and barely able to stand while being pushed and heckled by the Carrows and the Slytherins. The whole time he trailed behind with this twisted smile on his fucking face!"

"She has night terrors from it, Mione!"

"I have accidents too… because of all that time under the torture curse!" Ginny took a deep breath. "You are so wrong about him. Snape may have been on our side but there's no good in him. He had fun torturing me; I could see it in his eyes! He's a fucking monster! I hope he rots in Azkaban!"

"Here, here!" Harry agreed. "This last year alone should put him away for the rest of his life and I say good riddance!"

Hermione closed her eyes in a mixture of hopelessness, helplessness, and angry disappointment at her friends as well as Severus.

Everything was so jumbled within the witch; it was difficult to make sense of anything. She was angry at herself, to be sure. She was also angry at Harry and Gin; perhaps impractically so, and she had a fair amount of anger for Snape. Hermione didn't know who or what to believe anymore and it was doing her head in.

She needed to be alone to sort out her thoughts. Unfortunately, the Burrow was not the place to be if one wanted to actually be alone to think.

Hesitating slightly, Hermione moved to give Ginny a hug as she whispered, "I am so sorry for the pain and humiliation you've been put through." Pulling away, she averted her eyes from her friends and spoke quietly. "Lavender passed away this afternoon. I...I thought you might want to know." The witch turned and walked down the path.

"Hermione?" Ginny called out.

Harry's voice was louder. "Where are you going? HERMIONE?"

She just continued on until she passed the apparition line and with a crack, Hermione disappeared.

****0o0o0o0****

**More on the way soon!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.**

**Mad thanks to…everyone! Yep, everyone!**

**Happy reading!**

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**7th of May, 1998**

Hermione stood at her hotel room window and watched gray clouds move across the sky as rain fell in Manchester.

Really, it was just a small inn on the outskirts of the city. The witch wanted something out of the way and entirely muggle to get away and sort out her thoughts; she had paid for the week.

Apparating to Diagon Alley from the Burrow, the witch quickly dealt with Gringotts before apparating again to the first place that popped into her mind.

Don't ask why it was the quaint, unsuspecting inn she stayed with her parents in before her third year. The witch suspected that she was just being sentimental because that particular family vacation wasn't all that special. If memory served her right, it rained most of their stay and she spent the majority of her time in the room getting acquainted with her new half-Kneazle and playing poker with her dad; they always bet with candy and it made her mum cringe.

_Actually, I can understand why my subconscious thought of this place now. _

At any rate, it was calm and quiet and a great place to get her ducks in a row. Well, minus Pig disrupting her every few hours the first day with the latest frantic or angry message from Harry and Ginny. She finally sent them a letter explaining that she needed to be alone for a while.

She was no longer mad at them; given Ginny's circumstances, she couldn't blame her for how she felt towards Severus and Harry was just Harry. He had never liked the dark wizard and it was absolutely foolish to think that a few memories from Snape would have him changing his tune.

Speaking of Snape, Hermione was no longer angry with him either…not really anyway. Hermione was the one who had told him that there was no commitment and that their time was just about finding a bit of reprieve from all the depressing realities they faced. How could she fault him for taking her at her word? She had also resolutely promised to hold her thoughts about the stories of all her friends being accosted by him until she heard his side of things. She had told the dark wizard that she would remember the truth even if he got lost in all the lies. Was she now doing just that, getting lost in lies or -in Gin's case- possible skewed-truths?

If there was anyone she was well and truly angry with, it was herself. She was the one who threw herself at her former professor, she was the one who completely forgot about contraception and she was the one who developed feelings. Blame it on her age or her inexperience, the turbulent circumstances or an amalgamation of the three but she held on to that moment of comfort until it turned into utterly senseless feelings of longing and love.

She should have known she was doomed from the start, actually, but that was neither here nor there anymore because it had happened and she was just going to have to find a way to move on.

Moving on, however, did not mean forgetting.

Hermione made up her mind last night -after berating herself for being pathetically selfish if she just walked away- that she would not forget about Severus and just go on with her life while he became a stepping stone on Ceslav Truth's climb to the top. The witch promised herself that whatever Snape's feelings towards her were, she would help him out of an unfair situation.

As she saw it, his situation was indeed unfair. Regardless of the stories she'd heard of him as headmaster, Hermione couldn't help but think back to his insecurity back in the tent. The way he kept making sure she was serious, as well as his own self-image were not the behavior of an unrepentant, evil monster of a wizard.

Unfortunately, she doubted that Harry would let her have Snape's memories review herself and take to the Wizengamot; she knew Kingsley was unreachable due to all that he had just taken on as the new Minister. Going to the Auror's office would be nothing but a joke if Truth was anywhere near the top and she doubted anyone else would give her the time of day once they heard 'Severus Snape' in a sentence. So what did that leave her with?

Just her.

It wasn't ideal but it wasn't impossible. She was a very resourceful witch and she was nothing if not determined.

Operation 'Free Snape' needed to get under way if she actually wanted a plan that wouldn't involve breeching the walls of Azkaban.

Padding to the closet, Hermione slipped on her trainers and then looked herself over in the mirror.

It had taken her a few tries to get it right but she weaved a glamour charm into her denim jacket to hide her baby bump. She was tired of hiding her pregnancy but didn't know how to unveil it to her friends without it blowing up in her face.

Grabbing up her trusty beaded bag, Hermione left her hotel room.

**0o0o0o0**

Again, Hermione walked through the lobby of St. Mungo's hospital swiftly; giving a slight nod to the welcome witch. She still didn't have a fully-formed plan but she knew Harry's cloak would figure in heavily. The witch figured she would do what she did last time by hiding herself under the invisibility cloak and wait in the general vicinity of Severus' hospital room until opportunity presented itself.

She got in the lift and pressed the button for the Dai Llewelln Ward; waiting patiently for the doors to close when a witch dressed in white slid passed the lift doors before they closed.

The young witch froze.

"Oh, Miss Granger, how are you?" the elderly witch asked with a smile.

"Hello Healer White. I'm well." Hermione said as she nodded awkwardly and smiled back. "And you?"

"Just fine," The elderly witch gestured to Hermione's leg, "How is your calf healing?"

"Oh, um, very well, thank you."

Healer White shook her head, "Don't thank me, dear. You ran out of here before I could even look at you properly. It looks as though you healed yourself well enough at any rate."

Hermione didn't know what to say, but she didn't have to reach for an answer long before the Head-Healer spoke up again.

"So, what brings you to the hospital, Miss Granger?" White's smile was gone and a knowing look took its place.

_Shit…_

"Uh, just… visiting a friend," As if someone or something above was taking pity on her, the lift doors opened. "Oh, this is my floor. Nice to see you again," Hermione slid out of the cramped space with a grateful sigh, which caught in her throat when she noticed Healer White get off the lift behind her.

"The _friend_ that you're visiting… he wouldn't be the _friend_ that you brought to us at the beginning of the week, would he? The same _friend_ that is at the top of the Auror's most wanted list?"

They stopped before the ward doors and Hermione turned to the Head-Healer, "I don't know _what_ you're talking about. I have many friends in this hospital due to the travesty that happened earlier this week, I'm sorry I have to refresh your memory. Now, I'm sure you are very busy and I wouldn't want to keep you from your duties. Good day, Healer White." The young witch tried not to be overly terse but the elderly witch was messing with her plan to be inconspicuous.

"Miss Granger, surely you're not insulting me by assuming I'm suffering from Alzheimer's. Are you attempting to see Severus Snape?"

"Wow, I didn't know this was the Auror office and I was being interrogated."

Healer White's hand shot out and grabbed the young witch's upper arm. "Many, many people told me that you are a very intelligent young witch, Miss Granger; most brilliant witch of your age…! Are they lying?"

Hermione shrugged, "Probably, do you know every single witch of my age? I don't."

Heaving a sigh of frustration, Healer White spoke again; this time her voice was hard. "What I have trouble wrapping my head around is how one third of the Golden Trio could call He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's right hand a friend?"

It could have been her jumbled emotions, frayed nerves or exhaustion, but Hermione's patience was only hanging on by a thread. "For fuck's sake, the bastard's dead! Speak his name or don't even bother bringing him up!" She forced a steady breath before continuing, "It's really none of your business who I'm friends with. I don't feel I need to justify my actions to you. If you are having trouble understanding how I could call Severus Snape a friend, then that is your problem."

"I'm just trying to understand! You fought for the light and you are Harry Potter's friend… How could you come to Snape's side?"

The young witch stared at the Head-Healer; steadfastly silent.

After a long moment, White asked in a whisper, "Is not all as it seems?"

Taken aback, Hermione was silent for a moment more before asking, "Why would you ask me something like that?"

"Miss Granger, I've seen much in my lifetime and I'm saddened and sorry to say that the malfeasance far outweigh any justices. Now, you know something about that wizard that the rest of the world doesn't seem privy to. Is that information sound or are you operating on a whim?"

Hermione locked eyes with the healer for a timeless moment before finally deciding to answer without answering at all. "Cliché, to be sure, but never judge a book by its cover."

The elderly witch nodded as she let go of the young witch and took a step back. She looked around the small hallway to make sure it was empty. "There is always a guard at his door, Miss Granger. They have strict orders not to let anyone in who isn't an employee of the hospital. I doubt you'll be able to get in."

"I know."

"How?"

Hermione didn't answer.

"Then how do you propose you get passed to see him?"

Hesitating slightly, Hermione finally said, "All I need is his door to be opened."

With an aggravated huff, the elderly witch spoke quietly, "As soon as I walk through these doors, I will inform the medi-witch assigned to Mr. Snape to check on him. The door stays opened so the Auror can look on. Beyond that, you're on your own." With that, Head-Healer White moved to open the ward doors before being stopped.

"Why are you helping me?" Hermione asked; perplexed.

The elderly witch turned and gave the young witch a warm smile, "Again, Miss Granger, I do not suffer from Alzheimer's. I remember how the both of you looked on the lobby floor less than a week ago."

Hermione was speechless and confused all at once but finally managed to squeak, "Th-thank you."

"You can thank me by not making me regret my actions." A second later, Healer White opened the ward doors and walked away.

Having no time to contemplate what the hell the old witch meant, Hermione moved quickly to duck into the alcove and pulled out the invisibility cloak. She was under it and passing through the ward doors just before they closed.

**0o0o0o0**

Healer White wasted no time in getting the attention of a rubenesque blonde witch at the medi-witch station to take a break with her charting and check on the patient in room 211.

Patty was her name and Hermione hastened her pace to keep up with her.

The burly looking guard outside of Severus' room caught sight of medi-witch. He straightened his posture and cleared his throat, "Afternoon Patty. You look a picture today."

"Why thank you, Bruno," the blonde smiled back.

Hermione almost laughed out loud at the Auror's name; it fit him almost comically. She watched as Patty opened Snape's door and sauntered in.

_It can't be this easy,_ The young witch said to herself as she watched the medi-witch leave the door open. She didn't know what she was expecting, but to just walk in with the medi-witch did not even come close in her thoughts. As it turned out, Hermione simply and silently crept passed Bruno -who was ogling Patty's backside- into Severus' room; it was not a difficult feat.

Once inside, her heart skipped a beat even as her breath caught in her throat; both elated and stricken by the sight in front of her. Elated because Severus was obviously awake as she saw his black eyes follow Patty's wand around warily. Stricken because, well, he looked pathetic. He looked so small and sickly in the hospital bed which sheets were literally only a shade or two whiter than he.

Slowly, Hermione crept closer to get a better look at him and to see what Patty was doing. As soon as she sidled up to the side of the bed, she froze because Severus' black eyes shot from Patty's wand to the space she was occupying and stared.

_Can he see me? Is he capable of seeing through invisibility cloaks?_

Hermione knew Dumbledore possessed that ability so she knew it wasn't impossible.

"Alright Mr. Snape, on a scale of one to ten, one being no pain at all, how is your pain this afternoon?" Patty asked.

Not looking away from the empty space at the head of his bed, Severus croaked, "A four."

The medi-witch tsked, "Come now, Mr. Snape, there is no need to keep up appearances on my account. You have to be feeling more pain than that. You only just woke up from a medically induced coma for a poisonous snake bite seven hours ago. Let's try again, shall we?"

This time, Snape's eyes did leave the spot Hermione occupied to give a vary Snape-like glare to the blonde witch; not at all intimidating due to his current state. "I said four and I meant it." He half hissed, half croaked.

"You do understand that if I put that on my report, the healer will cut down on your pain potions?"

"Miss O'Tool, as I recall I'm the one who taught in the subject and you were the one who scored an uninspiring 'Acceptable'." As Snape spoke, his usually silken voice cracked repeatedly.

Patty frowned and scribbled something on her clipboard. "You really shouldn't be talking so much, you might permanently damage your voice." she conjured a glass and filled it with water before handing it to the dark wizard.

Snape scowled but took the glass and sipped from it.

"Now, how would you describe your pain and where is it at?"

"And disregard you earlier words about not speaking as much? I couldn't possibly."

"I meant that you shouldn't be talking unnecessarily. Short answers to my questions will not hurt and will more than suffice."

After a time, Snape rasped, "Achy, if anything, and as for its origin. Half of my bloody neck is missing and wrapped with gauze, where do you think the pain is at, nitwit?"

Hermione jumped slightly when Bruno came stomping into the room.

"Listen here, you fucking waste of skin," the bulky man pointed his wand at Snape. "If you speak to her like that again, I'll make sure your neck isn't the only thing feeling pain!"

"Bruno, please! If Healer White knew you were in here like this...!" The blonde guided the Auror back outside.

Seeing that Snape was about to rasp a retort, Hermione did the only thing she could think of that would keep him from being hexed; she placed her hand over his mouth.

Severus' eyes went wide as his hands moved instinctively to the invisible force clasping his mouth shut.

Making sure that Patty was still busy calming down Bruno, the young witch bent down and whispered, "Don't egg him on, you git!" hoping he would recognize her voice and relax or be startled into stillness.

The result seemed to be a mixture of both. He went still as his hands dropped down to the bed and his eyes locked -seemingly- with hers; his black depths almost asking a question.

"Unless he poses a physical threat, Bruno, stay out here!" Patty admonished before turning and walking back into the room.

Hermione slowly removed her hand and backed away as the medi-witch moved to the head of the bed.

"Alright, Mr. Snape, I need to change the dressing on your neck. Could you please tell me the counter curse on your necklace? We have been unable to remove it and it is constantly in the w-"

"No."

Patty sputtered, "W-what?"

Snape repeated himself; condescendingly slow, "Nnnooo."

"Mr. Snape, I will only take it off to change your bandage. After, I give you my word that I will put it back on."

"What part of 'no' are you having trouble grasping?" he rasped.

"Watch your tongue, wanker!" The Auror barked from his post in the hallway.

"Bruno!" O'Tool warned before raising her wand and glaring at Snape, "Fine."

Hermione looked on as the medi-witch waved her wand and the gauze around Severus' neck began unraveling. When his neck became visible, Hermione forgot herself and gasped loudly. Snape's neck was bruised badly and it looked like the medical staff opened the wound again. It was oozing clear viscous liquid; almost looking necrotic.

"I'm sorry, did that hurt?" Patty said without any remorse whatsoever as she looked to Snape.

He was staring at a spot behind the blonde as he grunted in the affirmative.

"Are you sure you don't want to change the number on your pain chart?"

The dark wizard only glared.

"Alright." Patty cleaned his wound and dressed it again; all the while fighting with the silver necklace in her way. "Well, your neck is healing nicely. You should be fully recovered in another five or six days." When the witch finished, she stepped back and admired her handiwork before she accio'd her clipboard and scribbled something. "Healer Skunkcap should be in to speak with you in an hour or two. Would you like something in the meantime? Ice chips, jello?"

Hermione had a weird sense of déjà vu and concluded that jello and ice chips were the universal go-tos for hospital staff in their efforts to get patients eating again.

"No," Severus hissed, "I would, however, love for you to bugger off!"

"That's it! I don't care if you're bed ridden, bastard, I'll have you breathing out of a tube!" Bruno stomped into the room again only to be halted by Patty.

"You cannot hurt a patient, Bruno! Do you want to get me fired?" The blonde medi-witch blocked the Auror's advance and pushed him back into the hallway. "If you need anything, Mr. Snape, don't hesitate to ring the bell." Patty called over her shoulder before closing the door.

Waiting a handful of heartbeats to see if the door would open again, Hermione pulled off Harry's cloak and quickly locked the door and cast a _silencio _on the room before turning to the man occupying the hospital bed.

Severus was as still as a statue as he stared at the witch who had appeared out of nowhere.

Smiling timidly, Hermione squeaked, "Hi."

_Gods, this moment has been playing in your mind over and over for the last few days and all you can manage is 'hi'? Guh!_

Snape didn't speak as his obsidian orbs board into her.

"Um... how are you?" the witch watched as the wizard's eyebrow rose slightly. "Right, absolutely daft question."

Her stomach was twisting in knots as she fought a blush from creeping up her neck.

There was a lengthy pause and Hermione was about to break the silence again when Snape finally spoke.

"What... are you doing here?" His tone wasn't unkind; more curious than anything.

Taking a step toward the bed, Hermione forced her voice to stay steady. "I'm here to see how you're doing."

He emitted something between a cough and a laugh but it held no humor as his black eyes stayed pinned to her. "Then you obviously are woefully uninformed to what I've been up to these last few months. Surely if you knew, you would not be here." his voice broke many times.

"You'd be surprised." Hermione tossed the cloak on a nearby plastic chair and moved to him, "Please give your poor voice a rest. The last thing you want is to permanently damage it." She moved to grab up the glass of water Patty had conjured and urged the dark wizard to take it.

"Damnit... Granger, are you listening to me?" He wheezed as he grudgingly accepted the glass and sipped.

"I heard you." Hermione quietly watched him; wanting badly to climb into bed next to him and stay glommed to his side for eternity but then everything Harry had told her a few days prior infiltrated her mind. She knew she would be far from welcome in any attempts to get close.

Snape studied the witch as she watched him. "Why aren't you somewhere celebrating with your idiot friends? As I understand it, you, Weasley and Potter attained a new level of celebrity."

"Who could celebrate after so much death and destruction?" her nose crinkled with distaste.

Sipping the last of the water, Severus cleared his throat. "What happened at the end?" he paused and then asked, "How long did the battle go on for? How many casualties? Did Potter view my memories?"

Hermione smirked, "You remind me of someone equally as inquisitive, though, I can't recall her name just now." She moved to refill his glass of water.

"Granger." he warned at her teasing.

Pulling up the plastic visitor's chair that she had tossed Harry's invisibility cloak on, Hermione sat down and began retelling the events of the Battle of Hogwarts.

She explained about the horcruxes being what made Voldemort immortal; noticing how Snape bit his tongue to keep from admonishing her about that name. She told him that the hunt for horcruxes was what they were doing all year and what had brought them back to Hogwarts.

When she spoke of the Room of Requirement becoming somewhat of a safe haven, Snape told her that he knew it had. Apparently being Headmaster gave him all-knowing access to the goings-on within the semi-sentient castle. Hermione wanted to ask why he didn't do anything about it if he knew but didn't want to get side tracked.

Moving on, she spoke of the room of lost things and the fiend fire only to be interrupted by Snape's somewhat urgent inquiry as to the welfare of Draco Malfoy.

"He survived, thanks to Harry. He made us go back for him. I'm guessing Draco's alright because I saw him and his parents leaving the Great Hall after Voldemort fell." She backtracked slightly and told him about Nagini being a horcrux and the reason they went to the Shrieking Shack. Skimming over what happened in the shack, the witch confirmed that Harry viewed Snape's memories before going off to the forest by himself.

Hermione continued to touch on all the major points of the battle before moving on to all of the casualties. "Remus and Tonks' funeral is tomorrow. Fred's funeral is Saturday. There's to be a memorial as well for all who fought for the light and fell but the date hasn't been set yet. It will likely be a ways off; perhaps after the school has been rebuilt." She sighed sadly, "The Weasleys are really taking the loss hard; especially George and Ron."

"Yes, a family as close as that lot is sure to take any loss especially hard." Snape spoke; his voice a bit stronger after letting it rest during the witch's recounting of the battle. "And how did your friends take it when you said you were coming for a visit." he raised his eyebrow in sardonic question.

"They didn't."

"I figured as much."

"They were angry enough at me for disappearing to help you in the first place."

"I'd imagine; especially Miss Weasley. She couldn't have taken you aiding me very well." Severus finished another glass of water.

"I assume you are referring to the anger she has for you at what you... did to her."

He stilled all movement as his eyes searched hers. "You know about that?"

"Amongst other things."

He sighed, "Anger? That's putting it mildly."

She nodded.

"And you've still come here?"

The witch nodded again.

Severus sneered at her, "Why?"

"You really like asking that, don't you?"

He frowned, "That's the pot calling the kettle black, if ever I've heard it."

"True. My mum stressed always asking 'why'." she chuckled.

"So she's to blame for your incessant questions?" Snape's voice began getting rough again.

"I guess." Hermione nodded before getting back on topic. "I was told about that specific... transgression, but it was told from extremely bias points of view. I want to hear what happened from you."

"What are you now my, judge and jury, Granger?" Snape rasped.

"Hardly. You can refuse to speak on the subject if you want and I'm not here to judge you."

"You'd be the first."

Even with his straining voice, Hermione could hear the bitterness laced in his words.

Taking another sip of water, Snape spoke as a shuttered expression fell across his face. "I was forced into the position of Headmaster, I never wanted it... Dumbledore thought I could protect them, all of them." he snorted derisively, "Stupid, foolish old codger."

Sitting quietly at the side of the hospital bed, Hermione watched as the wizard stared unseeingly at the ceiling.

"Things became more... tense after the hols. Alecto brought it up to the Dark Lord that she and her brother were hardly getting any students serving detentions with them. I explained it away as much as I could before my allegiances were called into question." Severus cleared his throat. "I needed to prove myself because the Dark Lord was talking of taking over the school himself. I knew it had to be significant, so when I saw Miss Weasley and Miss Brown in the corridor, I saw opportunity. Miss Weasley is part of a pureblood family that consorts with..."

"Mudbloods." the witch supplied for him; unphased.

But she was the only one.

The dark wizard noticeably flinched at the word before his obsidian eyes snapped to her. "Don't ever say that word again!" his voice cracked.

Not understanding his vehemence, Hermione simply nodded.

Silence fell in room 211 for close to five minutes before Snape spoke again. "The Weasley's consort with individuals that are perceived to be of lesser status," he re-worded. "She was a member of a rival house, romantically involved with the enemy and had close ties with almost everyone in the Order. The Carrows and a few seventh year Slytherins were with me, so I had the ideal...audience."

Snape had stopped looking at her a while ago and was back to stonily staring down the ceiling.

"In the end, torturing your friend kept me in the Dark Lord's good graces and kept Hogwarts from being the next official headquarters for him and the Death Eaters."

Hermione took in everything being said with as much detached emotion as she could muster. "And the incident in the Great Hall?"

Severus closed his eyes. "How did you find out about that?"

"The students in the ROR."

He didn't speak for a moment but then he swallowed hard and said with a bit of sarcasm, "Another show of power to prove my allegiance to the dark side." Severus opened his eyes and locked them with the witch's. "Sometime towards the end of March, Bellatrix got it in her head that she would be an Ideal Headmistress. She spoke regularly of my deception to the Dark Lord who was becoming more and more paranoid with each passing day. He was close to honoring the bitch's wish and killing me." His voice left him and it took several attempts to clear his throat and a glass of water before there was enough strength behind it. "The fourth year couple was purposely making a scene in the Great Hall; an attempt at rebellion, I think. When Amicus went to break them up, Mr. Mass hit him with a stinging hex. It was yet another spotted opportunity."

Hermione pulled an unruly curl behind her ear and whispered, "A-are they... dead?"

He quietly answered, "Miss Lapel passed away as she was being emergency floo'd to St. Mungo's. Her nerves died off… The seizures caused an arrhythmia in her heart which was the reason for it stopping. Mr. Mass is up in the Janus Thickey ward; as faded as the Longbottoms."

Closing her eyes, Hermione took a deep breath to keep from getting emotional.

"So now the little know-it-all has the facts. Is your curiosity sated? Can you leave me to my fate now?"

"No!" Her eyes opened and locked with his, "That would only lead you to a date with a dementor!"

"Is that not what I deserve?"

"NO!" Standing, the young witch shook her head, "Your actions saved thousands!"

His face twisted like he was sucking on a lemon, "Granger, have you not been listening? I've just told you I tortured your friend, sent a mere boy to a psych-ward and killed his girlfriend all to save my own skin! How does that not merit a dementor's kiss?"

"Your actions saved the school from becoming Voldemort's layer or all of the student body from becoming Bella's play things!"

Snape stared at her. "You've lost it, Granger! I'm sure whatever fantasy land you fancy yourself in is sickeningly sweet but I'll not urge on this madness. I am a horrible person who has done thousands of misdeeds! What you know of me, of what I've done is severely watered down." he rasped. "Don't waste your time on making me your charity case, I'm not worth it. Nothing can be done for me so don't throw yourself into the fire and sully your name by associating yourself with me."

"I can't." Hermione whispered simply, "I can't just leave you here to receive an unfair trial and become an achievement award for a brick-headed Auror on a power trip. Not when I can help!"

"And what can you do to help me?"

"I think I can get you out of here without anyone being the wiser."

"Granger, are you mental?" Snape hissed.

She glared at him before outlining her plan. "We'll wait for the healer to come and check on you. I'll-"

"NO! Granger, stop it with this foolishness. Let me be, let Auror Truth cart me off to the waiting claws of the dementors. It is the very least I deserve."

"NO! I WON'T!" Hermione shouted as her vision swam with tears. "Have you _met_ him?"

"He was here soon after I woke up to tell me I'll be put under arrest once I am discharged. He was quite charming." Severus said sarcastically.

"Well I'm not letting that happen."

"WHY?" he wheezed, "Why are you doing this?"

She rested her hand over the pendant of his necklace on his chest. "You haven't taken this off yet, have you? Do you remember why? Do you even remember when I gave you this?" she asked with an angry tinge to her voice. When he didn't answer right away, she leaned closer to him, "Do you?"

His black eyes snapped to hers as he hissed, "Yes!" His right hand moved over hers and grasped it; almost painfully. "Half of my throat's gone, not my mind!"

"Then you remember what it symbolizes."

His onyx orbs broke away as he turned his head to stare at the wall. "Yes."

"So the reason why I'm here should not surprise you." Hermione eased her voice.

Silence fell between them for a long time before Severus turned back to her; question written all over his face. "That's not an answer."

Smiling warmly, Hermione's left hand came up to caress his cheek. "I'm doing this because I _still _see no monster in you, just a brave man who has been forced to do many things he never wanted to do."

Closing his eyes, Severus' face twisted in... Confusion? Sorrow? Relief? All of the above? Hermione wasn't quite sure.

He inhaled an uneven breath before opening his eyes again and asking in a gravelly voice, "What rose colored lenses are you spotting me through, Hermione? You should market them; you'd make millions."

"I wish," she murmured sadly, "Then maybe you'd be able to see yourself as I do." The witch stood straight once more and moved her left hand to take Snape's wand out and canceled the silencing charm as well as unlocked the door. "I am not leaving this hospital without you, so deal with it." she whispered.

Snape looked at her strangely.

Nibbling on her lower lip, Hermione operated on sheer impulse as she bent over and stole his lips in a kiss.

At first, Snape didn't respond, so she pulled away but then the witch felt his hand dart out to grasp the back of her neck; stopping her retreat.

The two of them stared intently into each other's eyes before Snape urged Hermione's head lower; connecting them in another kiss as his tongue moved to part her lips.

Her stomach swirled and her heart clenched tightly in her chest at all the emotions that swelled within her.

This kiss was equal parts gentle and heated, frenzied and exploratory.

When oxygen becoming a necessity, Hermione broke the kiss and stared down at the dark wizard. She broke into a triumphant smile and whispered, "I'm glad you're starting to see things my way." Hearing Bruno talking to someone on the other side of the door. She pulled away fully and grabbed up the invisibility cloak; draping it over her and disappearing from sight.

"Hermione!" Snape hissed; looking at the space he saw her disappear.

"Shh, just act like your snarky self! And stop staring at me; they're going to think you're crazy and transfer you!"

Less than five seconds later, the door opened and a tall Native American man with long raven locks walked into the room.

"Awe, Mr. Snape. I'm glad to see you're awake and more alert than you were this morning. How are you feeling?"

"I've already done this song and dance with the medi-witch less than an hour ago, Healer Skunkcap," Severus rasped, "if you insist on me repeating myself, I shall thank you to leave now."

The soft spoken healer simply chuckled, "Patty told me you were a wizard who didn't like to beat around the bush so I'll get right to the point. The anti-venin we are using to combat the rare poison in your system is working splendidly. You should be fully healed by Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. We will wean you off pain potions tomorrow and get you started on solid foods by Saturday. How's your strength?"

"I wouldn't know. I have yet to move from this blasted bed."

Healer Skunkcap nodded, "We'll remove the catheter tomorrow and get you up and moving, fair enough?"

"It is acceptable." Snape agreed haltingly.

"Fantastic. I'll have Patty along in five or ten minutes with a pain potion for you and another dose of anti-venin. Do you have any questions?"

"No."

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then."

After the door closed, Hermione head became visible as she mumbled, "No you won't," Turning to Snape, she motioned lower and asked, "Do you think you can remove the catheter yourself."

Snape frowned, "Volunteering, are you? Turn around, Granger."

She did but mumbled, "It's nothing I haven't seen before." she put up another silencing charm.

"So, what is your foolproof plan?" Snape asked after a time.

Turning back, Hermione snorted, "It's hardly foolproof. It's not something out of a James Bond movie or anything." She stopped, wondering if she had to explain the muggle reference but the dark wizard rolled his eyes.

"I spent my childhood as a muggle, Granger. I understand the reference."

"Right, well the plan is simple. We wait until the medi-witch brings your potions. On her way out, I'll set up a diversion. All you have to do is get yourself out of that bed and under the cloak."

He frowned, "With you?"

Hermione bit back testily, "No, I planned on pulling out my _spare_!" she rolled her eyes.

"Miss Granger, this plan is far from ideal. I expected something a little less... rudimentary."

"Call me 'Miss Granger' one more time, Severus, and see how inventive I can be with curses for your bollocks!" The witch's eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry my plan's not up to your impeccable standards! What did you expect, turning into your little black cloud and flying out the window? Some scheme involving polyjuice or glamour charms? Sorry to say but these windows are not real! St. Mungo's is situated between two high-rises; there is no way every room could have a window overlooking a street. As for polyjuice, I used the last of what I had on my break-in at the bank-"

"Bank? Yes, I remember the Dark Lord going on and on about that."

"He's dead, Severus. Gone. You can speak his name now."

Snape ignored her words. "So, you've turned into quite the little deviant, haven't you?"

"Is that a compliment?"

The dark wizard stayed silent.

She continued, "Glamours are worthless when there is a guard outside the door, monitoring who comes in and out of here. I'm sure if I had more time to dwell on this, I could think up something a bit more to your liking but since we only have mere minutes, you're going to have to cope! Now shut up and get ready to move."

Severus glared,

"Once you are covered by the cloak, we have to move quickly until we are out of this ward. Do you think you can manage?"

His eyes narrowed, "Granger, shut up and get ready to execute this dunderheaded plan."

Unable to help it, Hermione smiled before lifting the hood of the cloak and vanishing from view; canceling the silencing spell as she did so.

Nearly five minutes later, Patty came back in carrying two vials. She made sure Snape drank them both and offered jello once more before making her way out of the room.

As the medi-witch crossed the threshold, Hermione hit her with a tripping jinx.

The blonde flew across the hall and crashed into spare wheelchairs folded up and congregated on the other side of the hallway.

"Merlin! Patty, are you alright?" Bruno moved to help the witch.

Hermione decided as she stopped the door from closing with a wave of Snape's wand that confusing the Auror was not needed. She was so concentrated on the scene in the hall that she jumped when Severus moved in front of her and pulled the cloak apart. She was surprised when he opened his arms and bent down to pick her up and carry her much like he did from the icy waters so many months ago. Hermione made sure of two things: the cloak was covering them both and she wasn't touching Severus' bandaged neck.

Hooking her legs around his waist, Hermione released her charm holding the door and made sure Bruno's attention was still on the medi-witch before turning her attention to the ward doors; impressed at the speed in which Snape was moving.

It was fantastic luck that the doors to the ward opened as a medi-wizard left to go on break, or that's what he told the desk as he left. Snape shadowed the wizard all the way to the lift and into the lobby until he stopped to talk with the welcome-witch. At that point, no one was watching the main doors so the invisible duo's exit went unnoticed.

Severus didn't slow his pace until they were about two blocks away. Suddenly, he ducked into an alley and leaned against a nearby parked car. "Hermione," he mumbled, "the pain potion, it's inhibiting my motor skills. I-I can't go much further."

Hermione could hear his speech slurring as he gently set her down on the ground. "It's alright, you don't have to." She kissed his jaw, "You've done brilliantly!" Snaking her arms around his waist, she apparated them away.

**0o0o0o0**

Landing inside her room at the inn, Hermione pulled Harry's invisibility cloak off of them and guided the dark wizard to sit on the bed. "Here you go. Now you can relax and go back to sleep."

"I can't believe that worked..." Snape let himself be pushed onto the bed, "That shouldn't have worked... too easy."

The witch pulled her patchwork blanket that was at the foot of the bed up to cover the rummy wizard.

"C-cast wards, Granger... Strong wards... Who knows you're here...?"

"Shh, shh, I've got it sorted Severus, just rest. No one knows where I am." The witch doubted Severus heard her last words for he was already asleep.

Brushing his hair away from his angular face, Hermione allowed herself a big smile. She had done what she set out to do. She freed Snape from a situation that would have surely meant his demise. She didn't know what was next for him but she did know that now he had a choice.

Standing, Hermione did as she was told and cast strong wards on the room.

All the action and worry had the young witch feeling the effects of her many sleepless nights. Yawning, she moved to the other side of the bed, toed off her trainers and slid under the patchwork blanket as well; asleep before her head hit the pillow.

**0o0o0o0**

**Snape's back! And conscious! Well…sorta. Woohoo!**

**More on the way.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.**

**Thank you **_**Monkeywand**_**!**

**To everyone reading, I hope you enjoy. ;-P**

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**8th of May, 1998**

Sitting balled up on the floor of the small shower stall in an average hotel room was a heartbroken witch.

Under the shower spray, Hermione Granger sobbed for all that she was worth as she cradled her swollen tummy; trying to figure out what she did wrong.

Exhausted from many near-sleepless nights and successfully getting Severus out of the hospital without anyone noticing at the time, she passed out and slept until almost four in the morning.

It was then that she realized that she was all alone.

Severus had left her and he had taken his wand.

Her belly warmed and she felt an intense flutter.

"Oh, little one, none of this is your fault; your mum just set herself up for heartache. I never used to be this much of a masochist, I promise."

She had tried to stay optimistic in thinking that he went out to get some clothes or supplies to make a potion. Hell, she tried to fool herself into believing that he went out for the daily _Prophet_.

But as the minutes turned into hours, the young witch let the pessimist in her beat the optimist into submission.

_He's not coming back! Why would he? You are nothing but a silly little girl holding on to romantic fantasies about the mysterious ex-spy. How fucking pathetic can you be!_

Hermione honestly didn't hold out much hope for her dream of Snape professing his love and staying with her always but a small part of her hoped. Gods, she could strangle that part of her right now. Hoping for something made it hurt so much worse when that something didn't come to fruition.

And then the pragmatic part of her psyche had to rear its bushy head.

_You know you are being incredibly selfish and unrealistic. You haven't told him how you feel and didn't invite him to stay_.

_It was implied,_ said the pessimist in her.

_But he kissed me... in the hospital... _Her optimist whimpered brokenly.

_He knows an opportunity when he sees one. He took advantage of your need to do right; sat back while you worked out the kinks and then capitalized. Good for him._ Pragmatic spoke up.

_But I was already going to get him out, why kiss me? _Optimist questioned.

"GUH... Shut up!" Hermione said out loud as she finally stood and shut off the water. She was truly sick of the emotional rollercoaster. The walls felt like they were closing in around her and all she wanted to do was break away.

She really wanted to run to her parents and let her father hold her while her mother fussed over her; making her favorite foods and giving her advice.

Did wanting that make her weak? Was that running away from her problems or taking a time out to gain a new perspective?

All she knew was that she felt very alone and lost at the moment.

Drying off, Hermione wiped the last of her tears and squared her shoulders. First thing was first. She had to get ready for the Lupins' funeral and then patch things up with her friends.

It wouldn't do to be a rash, emotional mess.

Stepping out of the small bathroom, Hermione charmed her black dress with a glamour and went about dressing for the funeral; forcing all thought of Snape out of her mind.

**0o0o0o0**

Walking down the block to a small Catholic church in Thamesmead, Hermione was shocked that Tonks and Remus' funeral was to go with muggle tradition.

The majority of muggle-borns and half-blood witches and wizards forgot all about their muggle upbringing once they received their Hogwarts letter. Take Harry, for instance. Although technically not muggle-born, he seemed to forget completely that he spent eleven years of his life without a wand in his hand. Of course, who could blame him with people like the Dursley's raising him.

"Mione!"

The young witch was startled out of her musings as she turned back to see Harry, Ron and Gin walking quickly towards her. Smiling, she stopped walking and waited for her friends.

Ginny pulled her into a hug. "Hello, stranger!"

Hugging her friend back, Hermione's brow knitted together. "I know. I'm sorry," As Gin released her; she looked at all three of her friends. "I really am but I just needed some time alone... to sort myself out."

Harry shook his head and stepped up to hug her, "No need to apologize, we all deal with things differently. I just wish you told us as much before you walked off." He pulled back and his green eyes surveyed her, "Have you got it sorted?"

Hermione nodded, "For the most part, I think."

"Good, the sooner you sort things out, the sooner you can come out of hiding!" Ron stated as he flung his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Blimy, Mi, you look good."

"Please, Ronald, I look pasty, I have gigantic circles under my eyes, my hair refused to be tamed this morning, my dress feels too tight and my heels feel like they are breaking my toes!"

The redhead smiled crookedly, "Well, I don't know about all those other things but that dress... wow! Y-you look really good in that dress."

"Well, thank you, Ron, even if it's an all out lie." Hermione smiled.

"No lie, Hermione," Ron smiled bashfully before clearing his throat and continuing. "I'm sorry...you know, for how I treated you when you arrived at the Burrow..."

Hermione put her hand up to stop him, "You're already forgiven. We all were emotional wrecks."

Everyone nodded at that bit of truth.

"Hey, have you looked at _The Prophet_ this morning?" Ginny changed the subject as she hooked her arm with Hermione and they all resumed their walk to the church.

"No, haven't gotten the chance yet."

Harry spoke up from just behind her and Gin, "Snape escaped!"

"Slimy fucking snake! Why they didn't put him in a full body bind is beyond me!" Ron grumbled.

"Wow!" Hermione bit her lower lip; feigning surprise, "Um...when?"

"The medi-wizard on shift last night said he found Snape's room empty when he went on rounds after he got on." Ginny said quickly, "They say he escaped between half four and seven last night."

"Holy crickets! Um…do they have any leads?" Hermione hoped Healer White didn't mention her name to the Aurors.

Harry shook his head. "St. Mungo's director said that an Auror was stationed at his door every moment since Snape was admitted. She doesn't know how Snape could have just slip passed them." He spoke with a bitter tinge.

The ginger-headed witch frowned in worry. "Mi, he was unconscious the whole time you helped him, right? I mean, he has no reason to come after you, does he?"

"I still can't believe you helped that wanker," Ron mumbled. "Thanks a heap for tellin' me."

"Ron, not now… Ginny, of course not!" Hermione answered. "Why would he come after me or anyone for that matter if he escaped? If I were him, I'd get as far away from England as I could and never look back."

Gin nodded, "Yeah, you're probably right. I just wanted to be sure what with you staying all by yourself. It makes me nervous."

Hermione gave her friend an awkward smile; really not wanting to delve too deep into that subject.

Seeming to get the message, Harry cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Molly told us Mrs. Tonks and Mrs. Lupin decided on a traditional muggle funeral ceremony."

"Remus' mum is alive?" Hermione was shocked; the man never spoke of his family. Though, he was the quiet sort.

"His dad too," Harry nodded. "Apparently Mrs. Lupin is a muggle and Mr. Lupin was happy enough to slip into a quiet muggle life away from the wizarding world. They've become real close with Mrs. Tonks in the last year."

Hermione nodded sadly, "That's good. Mrs. Tonks has lost all of her family, with the exception of little Teddy."

Harry smiled, "Gin and I are taking care of Teddy next week to give Mrs. Tonks a bit of a break. I figure I should start getting to know my Godson."

"I can't wait; he's adorable with his little turquoise hair!" Gin squealed.

"I've moved back into Grimmauld Place," Harry said, "It's entirely too big for just me and Ginny. We wouldn't mind one extra."

Hermione smiled, "Thank you for the offer... I-I'll think about it."

Harry nodded as they made it up the steps of the church.

Ginny pulled out a fistful of cloth and handed Hermione a bit of it. "Hanky?"

Taking the proffered piece of cloth, Hermione took a deep breath and entered the church.

**0o0o0o0**

Stepping inside her hotel room, Hermione kicked off her heels and leaned against the door; still trying to gain control over her tears.

Tonks and Remus' funeral was beautiful and absolutely heartbreaking. She had never been so grateful to have possession of a hanky in her life.

After the burial, she went with her friends and half of the congregation to Remus' childhood home to meet his parents officially and pay her respects.

Her eyes burning from crying all morning and into the early afternoon, the young witch was more than ready to curl up in her blanket and sleep until tomorrow. But first, another shower to clear her stuffy nose and help her poor bloodshot eyes.

Stepping into the small hotel bathroom, Hermione watched her reflection as she unzipped her black dress and let it fall away. As it did, her skin glittered and then her tummy slowly grew until her baby bump was visible again as well as all the scars on her body.

She put a hand on her belly and smiled. "You really went to town on those bacon sandwiches Mrs. Lupin made, didn't you? Made mummy look like she was possessed by Ron the way I was stuffing my face, little one."

Heaving a sigh, Hermione put the shower on the hottest setting and stepped in to let the steam clear her head.

After a good twenty minutes, the witch felt like she could breathe again so she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower; grabbing a towel to dry off before using it to dry her sopping wet hair.

Still preoccupied with drying her curly mane, Hermione opened the bathroom door and froze immediately.

Standing next to the bed, less than five feet away, was none other than Severus Snape. He looked decidedly muggle; dressed in black trousers and a gray button down, a bandage on the left side of his neck.

Shock registered first and then Hermione felt overwhelming happiness and anger at feeling happy to see the bastard. That all paled in comparison to the mortification that was sweeping over her at being naked in front of the dark wizard. Not that she hadn't been starkers in front of him before, but now she was sporting a baby bump and that was where his black eyes were staring.

Quickly covering herself with the towel, she said with a fair amount of shock, "Severus, you're here...!" Suddenly, her anger bubbled up as she moved to him and slugged his chest as hard as she could. "You selfish prick!" In her angry tantrum -still holding up her towel with one hand- her other hand moved to smack his stomach. "Disappear without so much as a goodbye or…anything! You were gone..." She smacked him again, several times before her tantrum petered out of her petite frame. "Just...gone..." Hermione looked up at him.

Snape weathered the small witch's abuse without moving as his eyes slowly traveled up to lock with hers before he stepped toward her. He didn't speak as he grasped the towel and attempted to pull it away from the witch's body.

Hermione gripped the towel tighter. "What are you doing? No...!" but the next thing she knew, the white towel vanished and she was gripping nothing but air. She glared at the dark wizard as his eyes dropped back to her stomach.

She didn't know how long they stood there as he stared at her baby bump but finally, she spoke.

"Say something…"

His voice still rather gravelly, "You're...pregnant?"

Hermione frowned, "No, I gorged myself on the buffet at the funeral reception!" half-joking, half-snarking; her words not entirely untrue.

His brows knitted together in a distracted scowl while his eyes never left her stomach.

Crossing her arms over her chest to feel a little less exposed, Hermione dropped her eyes and nodded. "Well...isn't it obvious?"

She heard his voice crack as he asked, "Is it mine?"

Tension was building in the air between them and Hermione could feel every bit of it as she opened her mouth to answer only to find that her voice wouldn't cooperate.

Snape's hand slammed against the door frame just behind the witch; causing her to jump. "IS. IT. MINE!" he spat out in an menacing tone.

Still not looking up at him, Hermione nodded again as her voice trembled, "You a-are the only guy I've ever b-been with." She flinched when the wizard slammed his hand against the door frame again before he turned and stalked over to the window.

On shaky legs, she moved quickly to grab her blanket from the bed and cover herself.

Staring anxiously at Snape's back for an undetermined amount of time, Hermione whispered cautiously, "Severus…?"

"Am I supposed to believe that?" He asked before turning back to the witch; a sneer on his face. "You shared a tent with two concupiscent teenage boys for months. It is more believable that one of them is the father of your spawn."

His words cut deep as she stared disbelievingly at him. "What?"

"I did not stutter."

"H-how could you even entertain that idea?"

Snape crossed his arms over his chest and hissed viciously, "Why not? An hour in a tent with me and you were practically begging for it. Why should I believe you would act any differently in their presence?"

Any fear Hermione had for the wizard's reaction left her as she walked right up to him and slapped him across his face so hard her hand stung. "MAYBE BECAUSE I SHARED A TENT WITH THEM FOR MONTHS BEFORE YOU CAME ALONG AND _YOU_ WERE THE ONE TO TAKE MY VIRGINITY!" she screamed as tears blurred her vision. She drew a shaky breath, "Because contrary to what you obviously believe, I am not a whore!" Tears fell from her cinnamon eyes. "How dare you come back here and accuse me of lying about who the father of my baby is after I've just helped you!" she let out a strangled sob, "Why would I say this child is yours if it isn't? It's not like I'll win any popularity contests or awards for getting knocked up by the most hated wizard in the world and wanted fugitive!"

Staring down at the crying witch, Snape moved a step closer to her only to be met with another slap across his face. This time, she accosted his other cheek; causing him to have matching red marks on both sides of his face.

"LEAVE!" Hermione screamed as she turned away from the wizard.

Clenching his jaw, Severus fought hard to put his emotionless mask on his visage but couldn't quite accomplish it as he listened to the witch's aggrieved sobs. "Hermione…" He moved his right hand to lightly touch the girl's shoulder.

Hermione moved away from Severus' touch. "NO! You think me a whore and a liar, you can leave!" She let out a humorless snort as she wiped her eyes, "I can't even blame you because I _did_ throw myself at you that night." Shaking her head, "Please, I want you to leave! Just…GO!" She struggled when she felt the wizard's arms encircle her.

"I will not… Settle, Hermione…" His arms held her firmly to him; her back against his chest.

"Fuck off, Snape! LET ME GO!" Hermione couldn't believe she was saying those words. All she's wanted for months was to be in his arms but his words hurt.

"No, I will not." His forehead rested against the crown of her head as he closed his eyes and uttered, "I can not."

Hermione sniffled, "I-I…I don't want you here!"

"And you will not stay here." He said forcefully before relaxing his tone and explaining. "You used my wand, Hermione. The Ministry will order a trace and when they do, the Aurors will know where it was used. If they catch you here, they will tie you to my escape."

"And why would you care?" Hermione continued to resist but it was depthless. "Why would you give a niffler's ass if I was caught? It's not like I know where you plan on running off to!"

Holding her securely to his person with one arm, Severus wandlessly maneuvered all of the witch's belongings into her beaded bag. "You are being irrational, witch! I doubt you want to birth your child in the pits of Azkaban!" He accio'd her bag. "You didn't book this room under your name, did you?"

"Of course I didn't! I'm not being _Irrational_! I'll show you irrational!" She dug her nails into his left arm and drove her heel into his shin right as the swirling wooziness of apparition overtook her.

**0o0o0o0**

"Bloody fucking hell, woman!" Severus tossed the witch upon the first relatively soft surface available -which was a bed- before limping across the room and sitting at the table; moodily chucking her bag far away from him. "A fucking hellcat you are!" unbuttoning his shirt sleeve and rolling it up, he inspected his left forearm. "I'll not be surprised if I need to down a tetanus potion."

Hermione quickly made sure she was still covered by her patchwork blanket before sitting up on the bed she had been unceremoniously dropped on and looked around at her new surroundings.

The room was relatively similar to the room they had just vacated. It had the consistency of a hotel room and it was definitely muggle. It had a telly and microwave on top of the dresser parallel to the bed she was sitting on. This room was a bit larger than the last and was decorated in blues and whites as opposed to burgundy and taupe.

Turning to the wizard sitting at the small table next to the window, Hermione glared. "Where are we?"

"A small hotel in Ipswich."

Her brows knitted together, "Ipswich… Why Ipswich?"

Rolling his shirtsleeve down, Snape answered with perturbed growl. "Because it's not Manchester."

"No, _really_?" she answered sarcastically as she stood. "Well, mission accomplished. You've successfully extracted me from the hotel room. If you were aiming to repay a debt or something equally absurd, it's been repaid." Hermione sighed as she pulled her drying and increasingly chaotic curls away from her face with her left hand while her right kept her quilt secured around her frame. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll just get dressed and be on my way." Turning away from the dark wizard, she moved towards her bag which was on the floor next to the door.

She didn't get three steps before a hand closed around her wrist and whirled her around. Seeing Severus' face twisted in anger, a small tendril of panic settled in her stomach.

"Who did this to you?" Severus pulled Hermione's left arm up and examined the series of scars that formed the word 'Mudblood' on her forearm. He ran his thumb over the scars, demanding once more, "Who?"

"That's nothing... really." She struggled to pull away as she bowed her head; not wanting him to see the tears filling her eyes again. "Let go."

"No, Hermione." One of his hands moved to lightly grasp the young witch's chin and urged her to look at him. When he did, her hair dropped off of her shoulder, making another series of scars visible. His ink black eyes stared intently at the word imprinted upon her shoulder. "Who carved these..._hideous _words all over you?"

Hermione fought to keep her tears from falling, "Bellatrix." She was surprised when the wizard pulled her to him; firmly wrapping his arms around her.

"When?"

"End of March,"

"What-"

"I don't want to talk about it." Hermione said quickly as a nasty flashback berated her mind. "Please."

After a time, Snape sighed and pulled away from the witch. He moved his left hand to rest on her baby bump, "This…" he seemed to struggle for words, "caught me off guard."

The witch emitted an unlady-like snort, "You and me both." Her hand moved to rest next to his on her belly, "Though, when you think about it, we hardly took any precautions."

His eyes left her stomach to lock with her cinnamon depths. "Hermione..." he started but his strained voice trailed off; seemingly unsure of how or where to navigate the conversation.

The witch was about to fill the gap when suddenly she felt an odd pressure... inside her stomach. She frowned, wondering if she was imagining things, but then she saw Severus' face. Hermione didn't quite know what to think, if Severus Snape could look awed, she imagined that this was about what he would look like. All the frown lines on his face faded and there was a spark of something in his eyes.

His deep voice broke the silence, "Was that…?"

Just then, there was another strange pressure in her stomach and Hermione couldn't help but cradle her tummy and grin elatedly from her baby bump, to the wizard and back again. "My baby…"

The duo stood silently and awaited another kick. Sure enough, roughly two minutes later, the life inside the witch didn't disappoint.

Hermione inhaled quickly as her smile grew. "Severus, did you feel that?" When she looked up, she saw the wizard staring at her.

His eyes shifted to watch his thumb move back and forth lightly on her swelling tummy before they traveled back up to lock with hers. "That…that was my child?"

"Yes, Severus... that was your son."

"My…" Snape's voice cracked; from emotion or strain, Hermione didn't know. "I'm to have a son?" his jaw clenched as his obsidian eyes board into hers.

She nodded.

The wizard screwed his eyes shut and took an unsteady breath. Resting his forehead against the bewildered witch as his hands slid to her waist, Severus whispered, "I… I can't."

Before Hermione knew what was happening, his lips captured hers.

"I…" his lips crashed into hers; almost punishingly so. "You…you don't know…" he stole her lips again while he slowly backed her up until she was against the hotel room door. "…couldn't possibly understand…"

Hermione ducked his next forceful kiss. "Wha…what are you talking about? What can't you do…? What couldn't I understand…? Severus!"

Snape pulled away and stared captivatingly down at the confused witch. He gazed down at her for what seemed like an eternity before he moved to seal their lips in another kiss; this one, however wasn't like the others.

Yielding to his attentions with a small moan, Hermione began losing herself in their kiss. It was warm, fierce, frantic, sloppy and totally fantastic if anyone wanted the witch's opinion.

_Am I dreaming? _

The witch totally forgot that Snape didn't answer any of her questions. She forgot how to breathe when his right hand slithered passed the fabric loosely covering her otherwise nude form to cup her mound; slipping his fingers passed her folds. "Mmmfff_hhh_…!" her lips broke away from his. "Oh Gods!"

He seemed unphased as his lips busied themselves by raining kisses along her jaw, neck and collar bone while his fingers pumped into her before sliding out and spreading her juices, lightly pinching her clit and slipping inside of her again.

Too preoccupied with the pleasure sparking inside of her, the young witch didn't feel her blanket being pulled from her body or hear the distant sound of a zipper. She was, however, mildly cognizant of the hard, hot naked cock resting against her stomach.

Slipping his fingers out of the petite witch, Snape's hands moved to grip her arse and lifted her up but he didn't move them anywhere, simply situated his arms under the witch's legs, hands flat against the door as her knees hooked around his forearms; spread wide with her back against the door and in a perfect position to receive him.

Hermione dropped a small hand down to Severus' straining member and positioned him at her opening; shrieking as the dark wizard drove himself into her.

"Mmm...Hermione..." Severus groaned as he sheathed himself fully inside of her.

The witch's head fell back to knock against the door as her eyes rolled in ecstasy.

Snape began moving; long, deep, hard thrusts that had Hermione sliding up and down the wall.

In search of some sort of anchor, the witch's right hand moved slightly behind her to grip Severus' wrist and her left hand moved to bury itself in his soft black hair; losing all intelligent thought to insane pleasure.

Severus buried his face in Hermione's neck, nipping at the sweet sensitive flesh there as he sped up his thrusts.

Feeling intense heat coil up in her abdomen, Hermione panted, "Oh...I'm so clo-" before she could finish that sentence, her back arched and her climax hit her. "SEVERUSSSSSSSS!"

Biting her neck, Snape pounded into her relentlessly a dozen or so more times before his body went rigid and he came inside of her.

Pinned between the hotel room door and the spent wizard, Hermione tried to catch her breath as she struggled to wrap her head around what just happened.

_This is… entirely too surreal!_

Before she could think through or rationalize anything, Hermione felt the wizard maneuver his arms so he was holding her more securely and slid out of her.

Her arms wrapped around his neck as he carried her over to the bed. As he placed her -gently this time- upon the bed, Hermione knew she should shake herself of her sexually sated haze and leave the room and the wizard before she found her heart and dignity damaged beyond repair. But as she watched Snape shed his clothing, all she could think of was that she was finally with the wizard that had been consuming her thoughts for months. She was with the father of her baby; the same person she didn't think she would ever see again. Her eyes roved his body and the urge to flee fluttered away from her.

Snape gracefully stripped naked and simply moved to nestle himself between the witch's legs; holding most of his weight on his forearms to keep from squishing Hermione or the baby.

"I've missed you..." the witch said without preamble. "So much…"

Severus moved his left hand to brush away her messy curls from her face. "And I you." He whispered.

This wizard reciprocating anything, much less her unintended and somewhat needy confession astonished Hermione. Both of her hands moved to tuck his raven locks behind his ears; her right hand ghosting over the bandage, "How is your neck?"

"Nothing for you to worry about." Snape moved his left hand to grasp her right and gently moved it away from his wounded neck.

Hermione linked her fingers with his. "Don't tell me what I can or can't worry about."

"Me, tell a know-it-all like you what to do?" his raised a single brow as he moved their joined hands back to the mattress, "As if you'd listen."

"So why waste your breath?"

His eyes locked with hers, "Hermione?"

She answered in a whisper, "Yeah,"

"Shut up."

Huffing a sound of protest, the witch frowned, "Make m-" before she could finish speaking, Snape was stealing her lips in a fierce kiss.

It was a surprisingly short time before the witch felt Severus hard and more than ready for another round. Knowing she was ridiculously willing, Hermione squirmed under the wizard. Breaking apart from yet another heated kiss, she breathlessly murmured, "Please, Severus…now…"

Snape readily obliged.

**0o0o0o0**

**Damn, that was a serious emotional rollercoaster. **

**More coming soon! **

**Thanks for reading!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.**

**To anyone interested, I've done an illustration for this chapter and it can be viewed at **muzkbox(dot)deviantart(dot)com

_**Monkeywand**_**= awesome!**

**I grin foolishly and do a little dance whenever I read a review. Thought I'd just go ahead and say that. **

**Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!**

****0o0o0o0**  
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_Holy Hades, I need to wee!_

Clumsily rolling out of bed, Hermione stumbled a bit on her way to the loo only to realize that it wasn't where she remembered it to be. Rubbing her eyes, Hermione looked around and saw the bathroom on the other side of the hotel room. "What the hell…" the witch sleepily padded into the loo and eased her stressed bladder as the last tendrils of sleep receded from her small frame. When that happened, memories of the last few days filled her mind; Snape's escape from St. Mungo's, Remus and Tonks' funeral, going back to her room, Snape appearing and apparating them away from Manchester. She remembered her son's first kicks and what followed after.

Eyes open wide; she looked down to see that she was still very naked. Quickly finishing her business, Hermione washed her hands and face before taking a forced steady breath and opening the bathroom door.

She was met with a very empty hotel room.

Hermione clutched the door frame in an effort not to fall to her knees.

_He left… again…_

Closing her eyes, the witch could feel her very sanity crumbling.

_How could I've been so stupid?_

Breathing in deep repeatedly, the witch moved the short distance to the bed and sat on the edge.

_I probably _was_ nothing more than one last stop before he went on the run._

Her lower lip quivered as she turned and stared at the patchwork quilt. A tear dropped down her cheek as she grabbed a bit of the blanket and pulled it over to her; inhaling the fabric deeply.

Before she could totally break down, however, the door opened.

Hermione screamed as she jumped up quickly and covered herself with the blanket. "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU? GET OUT!"

But the tall black man did the opposite of her demand as he took a few steps into the room and shut the door.

"I MEAN IT! _LEAVE_ OR I'LL MAKE Y-"

"Quit your squawking, woman!" The man said but his voice was all too recognizable.

"Severus…?"

"Of course, who the hell else would it be?" the black man with Severus' voice stated as he moved to the table and deposited a paper bag on it.

Hermione eyed the man warily until she started seeing him change back into the dark wizard. Frowning, she moved to smack his back. "You _arsehole_!"

As the last of the changes in his appearance happened and his skin turned exceptionally pale, Severus turned to the witch. "Hitting someone who's brought you food is hardly a proper way to thank them."

Nibbling her lower lip, Hermione stared at Snape with blurred vision.

Snape pulled out two Styrofoam containers and two bottles of mineral water; unaware of the witch's distress. "Will fish and chips suffice for now?"

As he turned back to her, Hermione averted her eyes and shook her head. "I should go." At the wizard's frown, she said, "You should too. Especially you, it's not safe here for you… In the country, I mean."

Awake without arousal clouding her mind, the severity of Snape's state of affairs quickly filled her thoughts. The reality of the situation was that he was a very wanted man by the Ministry and the majority of the wizarding population in the UK. Aurors were hunting him even as they stood there and he had the audacity to use a bit of polyjuice just to get food.

_No, every second he's in this room is another second the Aurors gain in capturing him._

She searched the floor for her beaded bag.

Severus' hands gripped the witch's shoulders but she pulled away. "Hermione?"

"No, Severus, being here is dangerous for you! Just because we're not in Manchester or, or London, doesn't mean you can go flouncing about in public! What if you started changing back into yourself or someone recognized your voice? I hate to tell you, but your voice is quite unique!"

"Hermione," he caught her before she walked away from him, guided her to the table and sat her down in a chair. "First of all, I never _flounce_. Second, I am quite aware of my voice's… distinctiveness." He sat down in the other chair with a scowl. "I am also well aware that I am far from secure within Britain, but I had to make sure of a few things before I left." The wizard set a container and bottle of mineral water in front of her.

"Like what?"

Raising one black eyebrow, Snape drawled, "Among moving you, I had to make sure to retrieve everything I needed from my family home before I set it aflame," he continued nonchalantly, "I had to make sure my accounts were… in order... I had to ascertain what leads there were in regards to my disappearance and I had to create a believable trail for the brainless fuckwits in the Auror department to follow." He pulled plastic ware from the paper bag before vanishing it and handing her a fork. "Eat your food."

Practically drooling at the smell of the container, Hermione reluctantly dropped the subject for the moment and opened her container. Tucking into her meal, the witch realized just how hungry she was. Sipping her mineral water, she gazed out of the window to see the sun hanging low in the sky. "What time is it?"

Snape waved his hand lazily and gold numbers appeared between them.

"Half five? No wonder I'm practically ravenous, the last time I've eaten was six hours ago." She munched a few chips, "You'd think those bacon sandwiches would have carried me a bit further, though." After a few more chips disappeared from her container, Hermione's brow creased in thought. "You know what would be delicious with this? Sauerkraut and a chocolate crunchie bar." The witch hummed at the thought.

"Have you always fancied putting nonsensical food items together or is this just a side effect of being pregnant?"

Hermione glowered at the wizard. "Side effect? Pregnancy is _not_ a disease!" she polished off her fish before finishing her chips. When her container was absent of all food, the witch observed the wizard as he ate. "Severus?"

"Hmm,"

"Why are you here?"

Stilling all movement, Severus looked up at the witch as if she were crazy. "I thought we'd just discussed this? I had to make sure you were out of that room."

"And you've done that so why are you still here…bringing back food and eating with me?" Hermione hastened to say, "I mean, not that I'm not pleased," she sighed in frustration, "What I mean to say is I can fend for myself. If you feel some sort of obligation-"

"I do not feel obligated!" He cut in forcefully.

"Then what's your angle?" she asked. Hermione shook her head; trying to keep calm. Her voice became hallow as she bowed her head and said, "I know I'm just another stop before you go on the run ...One last fuck before you leave the country."

The wizard abandoned his meal and stood from the table, moving to stand beside the witch's chair. "And what led you to that presumption?"

"Because..." she murmured.

Scowling, Snape crouched down next to her. He caught her chin with his long fingers and urged her to look at him. "That is not an answer."

After a long pause and several attempts at removing her chin from his grasp, the witch huffed. "Because I...I-I know..."

"You know what?"

Hermione tried to steady her voice as she spoke. "I know about Lily..." She bit her lower lip before adding, "Harry told me."

Severus flinched infinitesimally and stared at her stonily.

His inaction caused the petite witch to start rambling again. "I know that she was your best friend and that she was the one you sacrificed everything to save!" She finally freed her chin, dropped her head and said with defeat, "I know she still owns your heart so that is why I know my words aren't presumptions. I am nothing but a quick shag to you."

Severus had yet to move or refute her words.

Wiping the tear from her cheek, Hermione said, "So...you got what you came for. You should probably lea-"

"I'm not going anywhere, Hermione!" he spat.

"Why not?" She stared into his eyes; closing them when his hand brushed her hair away from her face. "Don't." She pulled away from his touch, "I-I have to draw the line somewhere to preserve some of my dignity, Severus!" Emotions boiling over, the witch shouted, "I'm pregnant with your child, for fuck's sake...! Knowing that you will never want me or this child because you are so fucking attached to the memory of someone who passed away nearly twenty years ago really deals a crippling blow to one's self-esteem! So please, if all you wanted was to get one last rut in, it is time for us to just go our separate ways!"

"What rot has Potter filled your head with?" Snape asked acidly before stating firmly, "I did not come back here to get my dick wet, Hermione! What transpired between us... I had no intention..." his battered voice eased a bit as he stared into her eyes. "But I don't regret it."

Hermione's lower lip quivered as she whispered, "Of course you don't, you're a guy, but I refuse to be taken advantage of!" She was surprised when his hands framed her face as his lips pressed against hers. "Stop it...Why are you doing this?" she squeaked after they parted.

His grip eased off of her cheeks and slid down to her arms. "If I recall correctly, you have the same question to answer." At her confused stare, Snape jogged her memory. "That night, in the tent, you told me that if I lived through the war I should come and find you so you could explain why?"

Understanding crossed her face, followed by puzzlement. "So that's why you're still here?"

"No..." Severus stood, "Not the only reason."

Frowning in confusion, Hermione watched the dark wizard as he sat down on the bed, facing her. She moved around in the chair to face him as she situated the patchwork blanket to keep herself covered.

Almost fifteen minutes passed before Severus' voice broke the silence. "I must say first and foremost, Hermione, that you are the most confusing, vexing, most enigmatic person I have ever met; Albus bloody Dumbledore included."

"I doubt that." the witch smirked a little, "Have you looked in the mirror?"

The corners of his mouth quirked up ever so slightly before delving into the topic at hand. "You asked me, why I came back and why I'm still here. The scent changed."

Hermione raised one eyebrow at that. "Am I supposed to know what that means or do you come with some sort of Snape-to-English dictionary?" her heart skipped when he actually smirked at that.

"I suppose in order for you to understand that answer's significance, I have to explain a bit more." Severus hesitated before saying, "Hermione, what I'm about to tell you is being divulged for your understanding only. It is not to be repeated and your pity is not welcome, am I clear?"

The witch nodded.

In a very un-Snape-like way, Severus leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "First, you need to know that the memories I gave to Potter were for him alone. Their purpose was to make him understand the path he had to walk in order to win this war and destroy the Dark Lo- V...Voldemort."

With eyes as big as saucers in sheer astonishment of the dark wizard speaking that name, Hermione continued to listen.

He murmured, almost to himself, "I can't believe the little twerp survived." Shaking his head, Snape dropped his eyes to his clasped hands, "You were not supposed to know those memories and I was not supposed to live to explain-"

"Then don't!" the witch shook her head; not entirely sure she wanted to hear what was next. "Severus, if you don't want to explain, then-"

"Confound you, girl! Can you keep that stunning mouth of yours shut for more than five bloody seconds?"

Hermione froze. _Did he just say my mouth was stunning?_

"I never said I didn't want to; now please allow me to continue without flying off your hinges!" Severus interrupted her protest before delving in. "Yes," the wizard continued after a time, "I cared deeply for Lily... And yes, she was the main reason I went to Dumbledore, but she wasn't the only reason... Not entirely, at least. I knew almost as soon as I took the dark mark that it was nothing I wanted but it was too late." He paused before stating, "Lily was the catalyst."

Snape looked passed Hermione to stare out of the hotel room window. "To say that I was not blessed with a carefree, easy life would be an all out lie. I was born to an abusive muggle father and a doormat pureblooded mother who was disinherited for her choice in mates."

Intrigued, the young witch listened intently.

He frowned and cleared his scratchy throat. "I believe that there was a time that they were truly happy together but those times where long over when I came into the picture... We were practically destitute, living in a two bedroom row house in one of the rundown industrial neighborhoods in Manchester. As soon as I was four...possibly five, my father threw me down in the cellar with a lumpy, weathered mattress and that became my bedroom. The second bedroom in the house became my father's makeshift study, a place to get monumentally pissed each night before beating the living shit out of my mother and I."

As the wizard spoke, the witch couldn't help but think of her own parents and upbringing. Her mother and father were a good ten years apart and as different as night and day in many areas but they were head over heels for each other and treated her like a princess; even after realizing she was not like them. It put perspective on all the times she thought her parents were being particularly cruel and unfair to her.

Snape's eyes found hers, "My mother was loving but she was weak willed and never stood up to my father. When I was old enough to go to muggle primary school, I was just happy to get out of the house... eager to be around anybody else. However, because of my sickly pallor, tattered hand me down clothes and features that left much to be desired, I didn't exactly get on with anyone at my school." Severus sighed, "One night, after an adolescent magical episode that vanished my father's last bit of rum and I got the worst beating of my young life, my mum told me that I was a wizard and things would turn around once I went to Hogwarts. Not long after that, I met Lily. She was really the first person who treated me like a human being, other than my mum... and we had magic in common so we became friends quickly; bonding over our own little secret. But Lily was personable, pretty and smart; she made friends quickly... I did not."

The young witch listened to Severus, her heart breaking with the unfairness of his difficult past.

"Lily was my only friend, anyone I consorted with in my own house were merely associates at best. Lily showed me kindness and was the first example I saw that showed me what I lived, the constant yelling, crying and abuse, was not normal and shouldn't be tolerated. When we were in our first few years at Hogwarts, she helped me find the strength to stand up to my father, even if he beat me down every time. She became my symbol for happiness." The wizard cleared his throat before continuing on. "In my pathetic excuse for a life, she was the one good thing I had. I did everything I could to hang on to her, even when she was never mine to hang on to." His eyes sought hers, "Do you understand now?"

Hermione frowned.

"Lily Evans was the best that I'd ever known! She was intelligent, funny, vivacious, proud, selfish, shallow and a follower. She gave me her friendship and then took it away like it meant nothing to her and she was _still _the best that I'd ever known!"

The witch's eyes about popped out of her head when Severus smiled -actually smiled- before he whispered,

"Until now."

All the witch could do was blink owlishly; she was well and truly thrown.

"I've killed and tortured innocent people. You've heard from one of the victims yourself; your friend! And yet you didn't write me off completely. You snuck into St. Mungo's and planned my escape without ever demanding an explanation-"

"I asked-"

"Yes, but you didn't deliver an ultimatum. Instead, you delivered an impassioned speech about me being... something more than everyone else, even I see."

"Then..." she swallowed to moisten her dry throat, "then what does that have to do with scents?"

Grasping a corner of the patchwork blanket, Snape asked, "Hermione, have you any idea what this blanket does… What charms are sewn into it?"

She glared at the wizard and then the corner of blanket he was holding. "What in the bloody hell does that have to do with anything?"

"Just answer the questions."

"It…" Hermione slowly slid back into her know-it-all swot persona, "It is charmed with a variation of a warming spell. It keeps you just the right temperature regardless of internal or external variants." Her brow knitted in thought. "It also gives the user a feeling of weightlessness. No, like floating on a cloud," She shook her head, "Seriously, Severus, what does this have to do with anything?"

"I'm sure your keen mind will stumble upon what you seek once you answer the question."

"I did!" the witch barked.

"You only answered one question, and it wasn't as thorough a job as I've come to expect from you."

"Fucking hell, I answered what the blanket was charmed with as well as its properties! What more do you want?"

The dark wizard smirked crookedly at her, "Yes, but what does it do?"

"What do you mean what does it do? It keeps the user warm and comfortable! It makes them feel safe and secure by surrounding them with the smell of what they like or miss most or something to that effect!" Hermione huffed; completely annoyed with Snape's line of questioning.

_How did my question about why he's here become a quiz about this ruddy blanket?_

"Not entirely correct." Snape said after a moment. "Minerva made this blanket for me over three years ago," his attention stayed on the piece of fabric in his hand. "She gave it to me the morning after I went back to… Voldemort… The year of the Tri Wizard Tournament. Albus charmed it and from the moment it was given to me, up until that night in the forest, I literally had never parted with it. I always kept in my coat pocket."

Eyes bulging in surprise, the young witch's mind started to work out the many reasons the wizard would possibly part with something he obviously held in high regard.

Severus finally looked up at her. "You were right about the perfect temperature and the comfort, but you're off on what this quilt allows you to smell."

Hermione was curious about what she had missed in her deduction but she was also wondering if this was just a diversion tactic to keep from answering her original question.

"Desire," Snape rolled his eyes at the word. "I'm convinced it's one of Albus' sick jokes but, nonetheless, this blanket allows the user to smell what or who they desire most."

Blinking owlishly, the witch asked, "Why would he do a thing like that?"

"If ever you come across his portrait, see fit to ask the old coot, he refuses to give me any answers. The nearest I can figure is that smelling things you desire most subconsciously gives you a sense of peace, security and accomplishment." The wizard went silent for a stretch of time before saying more quietly, "Like the thing you want most in this world isn't nearly as impossible or as crazy as you originally thought it to be."

Hermione sighed and shook her head, "That's a bit cruel."

"More than a fair bit."

Glancing up at him, the witch's voice became stronger, "But all of that _still_ doesn't answer my question."

His hawk-like eyes softened as he locked them with her cinnamon orbs, "The answer, Hermione, is because the scent changed." he pointed to her.

Frowning, Hermione looked down at herself and wondered if this was going to be another conversation like the one she had with Remus a few weeks ago. "You've already said that once before! You also said that you would explain your answer." Crossing her arms, she glared at him. "I've got to say, _professor_, I'm having difficulty grasping your thought process."

_There's that blasted smile again. Who knew his face could do such a thing!_

"Is the consummate know-it-all conceding defeat?"

"Stop winding me up, Severus, this isn't a game!" Hermione huffed. Some might say she was pouting but that was simply not the case.

Shifting on the bed, Snape leaned over to rest his elbows on his knees again; closing some distance between them. "Hazelnuts, vanilla and parchment, with just a hint of arousal. Any ideas of what I'm speaking of now?"

Hermione stared quizzically at the wizard for a moment before her eyes went wide with sudden understanding. She stared down at the black, green and gray patchwork blanket and then turned back to Severus. "You mean what you smell on the blanket...it changed for you?"

"Ten points to Gryffindor."

_Fucking smug bastard,_ Hermione thought with irritation.

"So what do you smell now?"

"The question is who. Do you not know the answer?"

"If I knew the bloody answer, I wouldn't be asking, would I? She barked.

Severus straightened his posture, cleared his throat and drawled in as good a lecture tone as he could with his voice on the mend. "Then, here's a clue, Miss Granger. Who uses shampoo that smells of hazelnuts and vanilla scented body wash?"

Hermione froze; too afraid to voice her answer.

Something akin to mischief flickered over the wizard's onyx depths as he spoke. "No? Then let's try again. Said person is right here...in this very room. I'll give you one guess."

She opened and closed her mouth many times before whispering, "Severus-"

"How, in the name of Merlin did you manage to get that wrong?"

Shaking her head, Hermione's whispered again, "Severus… don't… Don't say that shit if you don't mean it."

"The true conundrum here, Hermione, is that I do." He did his best to clear his throat. "Never in my life has anyone done anything for me without demanding something in return. Never has anyone seen more to me than what is already visible. So, to set the record straight, you little pain in the ass, you mean more to me than just a quick shag. I came back because what I smell on that blanket is you."

The witch's breath hitched at Snape's words.

"When I woke up this morning, it was to you curled around me and your smell invading my olfactory. I thought it was just your closeness until I inhaled the blanket."

"Well," Hermione tried to come up with an explanation, "That doesn't mean much, I've had the quilt for months. Of course it's going to smell like me."

His chuckle was somber. "You and I both know that's not how this cursed piece of cloth works." Severus stood and started thoughtlessly pacing in between the table and the bed. "I was…conflicted and more than just a little annoyed." He confessed. "I left to gain perspective…and it _still_ alludes me." Stopping his pacing, Snape stared down at the witch. "You were my student and are very nearly twenty years my junior. You are an annoying know-it-all swot of a witch with a big mouth and a bleeding heart that makes me sick!"

"Wow, tell me what you really think."

"I just did." The wizard bent down, placing his hands on the chair's back and the table; trapping the witch. He ghosted his lips over hers but didn't actually connect them in a kiss. "You are exasperating."

Frustration was mounting in the witch as she awaited his touch. "You're irritating."

He smirked, "Brat."

"Bastard," body tense with anticipation, Hermione huffed. "Oh, for fuck's sake!" she closed the small distance, wrapping her arms around his neck.

As Snape ended their kiss, the witch caught his lower lip between her teeth and nipped it.

"Watch it you little minx, I'll bite back." The dark wizard warned even as he ducked his head down to nip her collarbone.

Hermione yelped as he hoisted her out of the chair and into his arms.

**0o0o0o0**

Severus moved inside the witch with a slow, determined ease; coated with sweat and panting through a crooked smile as he looked intently down at her.

Hermione closed her eyes, hardly able to do anything to wipe the smirk off the wizard's face.

He was manipulating her with a meditated pace; slowing to a near stop every time she was about to reach her peak; ultimately making it impossible for either of them to climax.

Her hands were all over Snape, groping his tattered back and clawing his arms; trying to pull him closer. She writhed in pleasure while whimpering the wizard's name in between gasps for breath, beside herself with sensory overload. Climbing to her peak yet again, the headstrong witch broke down and started to beg. "Aahh… Severusss_ssss_… please…"

The sound of Hermione's voice strained and pleading made Snape struggle for control. He slowed his pace once more.

"No baby…please…" her nails dug into his shoulder blades.

Severus' voice was rough and breathy, "Pl…please what…?"

Moving to meet his thrust with her own, the witch bit her lower lip. "Let…ooohhh…let me come…" she stole his lips in a heated kiss. "Pleeaassee!"

Losing his control, he pulled his cock out of her as he moved to grasp both of her wrists. He placed them on the bed, just above her head; successfully pinning her down. "You… still haven't answered my question, witch."

"NO!" the witch whined, "Not _fair_! Don't tease me!" she wiggled around.

"I'm not, merely… refocusing your attention." He smirked mischievously. "I answered your why; and then some. Now answer mine."

"Damn it," Hermione grunted in frustration, "Al_right_!"

Kissing her lips chastely, Severus pulled away and hovered just out of reach of her being able to connect them in another. "Why did you let that night happen…? Why would you trust me… you don't even know me?"

"And you know very little of me." The witch stopped struggling against the wizard's grasp and gazed up at him. "Because it felt right."

He frowned. "Not this again."

"I mean, _you_ felt…feel right." She huffed, "_We_ feel right. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" When he gave her a skeptical look with one eyebrow raised, Hermione sighed and reworded her answer. "Being with you seemed like…it was meant to be. I can't explain it but I felt… feel like we…" she steadied her breath, "belong together."

Screwing her eyes shut even more, the witch was fully expecting Snape to move off of her, tell her she was ridiculous as he dressed and then left in a frustrated heap. So it took her by complete surprise when she felt him fill her again.

She opened her eyes.

Severus gazed down at her as he released her wrists and began moving slowly within her.

They stayed like that for a long time; lost in each other's eyes.

It was only when she was close to her peak again that Hermione broke eye contact. "Oh gods, yes… right there… Stay right th-" She fisted the bed linens as her body shuddered.

"Fucking, bloody, bollocking…hell…" Losing his slow rhythm, Snape pounded into Hermione a handful of times before reaching climaxing. Prior to collapsing, he moved off of the witch completely and dropped –belly first- onto the bed.

"Damn." Hermione sighed as she stared up at the ceiling of the now dark hotel room. Catching her breath, she gave into a yawn and let her eyes close.

Snape turned onto his back and pulled the witch to his side. He wandlessly summoned the patchwork quilt to cover their spent bodies.

Resting her head on his shoulder, Hermione sighed contentedly as her hand moved to draw aimless designs on Severus' chest. "I'm more than ready for a nap now."

His left hand moved to cover her baby bump while his right tangled itself in her messy, sweaty hair. "Then, by all means…"

Doodling her way up his chest, Hermione's fingers moved over the necklace she had given him. She grasped the pendant and looked up at his profile. "I'm still quite stunned that you've yet to take this off."

"I gave you my word." He moved to grasp his necklace and lifted it away from his neck. "This bobble has been more of a curse than anything to do with luck…"

Hermione frowned.

"Because every time I had to do yet another unspeakable act, I would look at this necklace… clutch it in my hand and remember your words and what this cursed piece of muggle jewelry symbolized."

Watching Severus close his eyes and grit his teeth, Hermione dusted a kiss upon his jaw.

"I hated how everything I did suddenly was judged by a bloody accessory…" Snape shook his head. "Judged by you."

"Severus, I would nev-"

"I know… I know. That's the problem," Snape murmured; placing a kiss lightly on her forehead. "Get some rest now."

"Are you going to be here when I wake up?" the witch mumbled, almost asleep. "No, wait… Don't answer that…"

He turned his head so his nose was buried in her curls and whispered his answer anyway. "I'm not going anywhere."

Already asleep and oblivious to the wizard's words, Hermione nestled deeper into his side.

**0o0o0o0**

**Like I said, check out the artwork for this chapter at **muzkbox(dot)deviantart(dot)com

**More is on the way!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.**

**Sorry for not updating lately. What with Thanksgiving, Black Friday and family coming and going in droves, I barely had time to breathe!**

**Mad respect to my beta, **_**Monkeywand**_**!**

**Love to everyone reading, kisses to everyone reviewing!**

**I'm fairly sure that my next update won't take as long! ;-P**

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Hermione's eyes opened and she blinked several times to bring her surroundings into focus.

The hotel room had a blue/gray tint to it; the coloring that came just before the sun highlighted the sky.

The witch couldn't remember what had awoken her but she felt on edge as if something was wrong.

But -as far as she could tell- nothing was. In fact, things seemed unimaginably right. She was currently in bed, spooning with the father of her child. His arms held her close as his soft snores rustled her curls and tickled her ear.

Severus had stayed and -more or less- admitted to desiring her. No, it wasn't a declaration of love, loyalty or commitment but it was significant; especially where this wizard was concerned. He didn't seem like the type to readily confess anything, much less his desire so therefore it was definitely noteworthy.

Her life's path seemed to finally be smoothing itself out.

_So why do I feel dread coiling within me?_

Just as she asked herself that question, a stabbing pain had her curling into a ball and gasping for air.

Her hands moved to her swollen belly as another piercing ache took hold of her. "Aahh…!" It seemed as if her strained gasp was enough to wake up Snape because he was sitting up and leaning over her in an instant.

"Hermione, what's wrong?"

"I dunno…" she lost her breath to another sharp twinge. "It hurts…!" Severus pulled the blankets away and what she saw sent her into an all out panic.

The bed was soaked with blood.

"Fuck!" The wizard moved off the bed.

"Severus!" her tone was anxious before another spasm crippled her.

Snape appeared next to her a moment later with colorful phials in his hand. "Take these, Hermione, quickly!" his tone harsh but concerned.

She did as she was told to the best of her ability, still curled tightly in a ball and cradling her stomach.

"These are potions that will relieve the pain and replenish vital fluids. You should feel it easing up shortly."

But it didn't. If anything, the pain got worse. With mind maddening pain hitting her in waves, the witch couldn't help but think the absolute worst. "Severus… our baby…!"

Severus bowed his head for several seconds before he stood and moved around the room. "You need a healer, Hermione."

As those words filtered through her pain, a new wave of panic hit her. "What are you doing!" when he entered her line of sight again, he was dressed.

"I'm taking you to St. Mungo's."

"What, NO!" she attempted to push him away as he wrapped her in the blanket and gathered her in his arms. "You're going to get arrested!"

Snape's face was absent of all expression as he cradled her in his arms.

The swirling feeling just before apparition hit her. "NO!"

But it was too late. In the blink of an eye, their surroundings changed to an obnoxiously white hospital lobby.

Severus shouted at the welcome witch, "GET ME A HEALER, NOW!"

Hermione thought it odd that Healer White walked into the lobby –out of nowhere- with a few medi-witches.

"HELP HER," Severus barked, "SHE'S PREGNANT!"

"Miss Granger, what a surprise," the elderly witch said as she came to a stop in front of them before eyeing Snape. "And look, you brought your _friend_."

One medi-witch whispered to the others, "She's lost a lot of blood; the baby probably will not make it."

"_What_…?" Gasping as another bout of spasms ebbed, Hermione saw Auror Truth step into the lobby from the corner of her eye. She shook her head. "Oh no…please…"

Truth sneered at her, "What's wrong, princess? Did you actually think you would get your fairytale ending?"

"I told you not to make me regret my decision in helping you!" The healer waved her wand and levitated Hermione to a conjured gurney.

Hermione watched as Truth tackled Snape. "Nonononono, NO!"

**0o0o0o0**

Gasping for air, Hermione flailed wildly as her eyes shot open.

It took a moment to grasp that she was not at St. Mungo's but in the hotel room. Still breathing heavily, the witch untangled herself from the patchwork quilt and kicked it off of her as fast as she could; her eyes wild as she searched for blood.

Realizing that she just had a horrible nightmare, Hermione heaved a sigh of relief and dropped back to the mattress; taking the quilt with her. Her hands moved to her stomach and she searched for the bond with her son. After a few seconds, familiar warmth filled her and she smiled. "There you are little one."

"Is he kicking again?"

The bathroom door opened and out came an unkempt Severus Snape. He donned his black trousers and gray dress shirt again, both were slightly wrinkled. His shirt was only half buttoned and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He had a bit of stubble and his hair looked rather greasy, pulled back and secured at the nape of his neck. Needless to say, he looked nothing like the impeccably dressed wizard Hermione was used to seeing, but he still looked quite attractive; to the witch, at least.

"He was quite active a few hours ago," Severus said as he leaned against the door frame. "I'm surprised he didn't wake you."

"You felt him?"

He nodded.

After a moment, she said, "No, I was just feeling for our bond. I'm not sure how to explain it but…I can feel him; more than just physically." Hermione glanced out at the morning sun and sighed. "I just had the most awful nightmare…" her eyes moved to stare at the ceiling.

"Of the war?" Snape questioned.

Shaking her head, the witch whispered, "It was of you," in an instant her eyes were shedding tears, "…and our son."

"It wasn't real," he broke the silence after a time, "Whatever you dreamt, it didn't happen." his tone was somewhat stilted, like he was unversed or uncomfortable with offering words of comfort.

"But it _felt_ real." Hermione sniffled and turned to gaze at the wizard. She couldn't understand why he suddenly seemed tense, wary and out of his depth or why he hadn't moved from the bathroom entrance. Holding out her hand, she whispered, "Lay with me?"

He appeared slightly hesitant as he walked to the bed and laid down next to her atop the quilt.

Almost on autopilot, she glommed onto his side and rested her head on his shoulder. "What were you doing?"

"Brewing," he answered shortly.

"Oh," she eyed outside once more, "What time is it?"

"Just after ten."

Her eyes shifted to him. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing,"

"Then why are you acting so…" she paused, "You're acting differently than you were yesterday." her hand moved to toy with the buttons of his shirt.

Snape cleared his throat. "I think we would be in agreement by saying that yesterday was…"

"Intense, chaotic, exhausting, emotionally turbulent…full of surprises?"

He exhaled slowly as his hand moved to tangle itself in her hair, "All of the above." He seemed to be choosing his words carefully, "In the midst of such…bedlam…emotions run high. Many people do and say things without thinking. When they have ample time to unwind and reflect, their earlier actions and words beget regret."

Propping herself on her elbow, Hermione looked down at the wizard and asked with a quivering lower lip, "You regret yesterday?" the witch honestly believed that the wizard was going to drive her straight to her own private room in the Janus Thickey ward with the way he puppeteered her emotions; conscious of it or not.

"No,"

And just like that, she no longer felt like breaking down.

"But you obviously do," he finished.

_What…?_

"Obviously what?"

He stared purposefully up at the ceiling, "Have regrets."

The witch gazed down at the wizard in complete confusion. "No I don't!"

"You must if you think I'd do anything to your child."

"Our," Hermione corrected; still quite befuddled. "I don't think that!"

"You dreamt it." Snape finally locked eyes with the witch.

"No I didn't! I dreamt that…" the conviction in her tone fell away, "I dreamt that I was miscarrying," her voice quivered, "and that you took me to St. Mungo's, ignoring the fact that you'd be arrested. In my dream, I lost both of you."

His ink black eyes searched hers before he pulled her back to rest her head on his shoulder.

Hermione snuggled closer and tried to work out how he got the idea that she dreamt of him hurting their son. Her earlier words came to her and she abruptly understood.

_He is so used to everyone thinking the worst of him; of course he jumped to that conclusion when I told him my nightmare had to do with him and the baby._

Moving one hand to the witch's stomach, Snape asked, "Do you know how he is fairing?"

As if listening to the conversation, their child chose that moment to deliver a kick to his mother's stomach.

Grinning, she placed her hand over the wizard's. "He seems to be quite active."

"Have you seen a healer?"

"I saw a muggle doctor. He said that our baby was below average in weight but I suppose that is because I am underweight-"

"Muggle doctor?" Severus interrupted, "Why did you go to a _muggle_ doctor?"

"Because apparently everyone knows my name in the wizarding world," Hermione explained with a bit of distaste, "I didn't want the entire wizarding world knowing I was pregnant before I could tell you and my friends." She frowned, "I could just see the scandal it would have produced if it leaked." The witch turned back to the subject of her son's health and spoke animatedly, "The muggle doctor said with proper diet and rest, he'll even out."

"And have you been eating and resting properly?"

Hermione frowned as she glanced up at him, "Of course! What do you take me for?" At his skeptical glare, she huffed and averted her eyes. "Alright, I maintain that I eat well enough but… up until very recently, I haven't been sleeping very well and I haven't had the time or the money to get the prenatal vitamins Dr. Hummer prescribed-"

"You will not be taking muggle medication of any sort, Hermione." Snape said sternly.

"Bu-"

"This is not up for discussion, witch. I will brew you a prenatal potion."

Hermione definitely didn't like being ordered around but she didn't have the money for those prescriptions and still be able to keep a roof over her head so she let the matter drop. After a moment of silence, she turned back to their child. "Our little one is splendid as far as his organ development is concerned; I love hearing his little heart beat! His lungs are also developing well. I can't tell you what a fantastic surprise that is because I thought the torture I had received at the hands of Bellatrix would..." Hermione's voice faltered when all the memories of that incident bombarded her again. Biting her lower lip, she ducked her head so the wizard couldn't look at her.

"I..." She took a shaky breath, "I thought I had lost him..." Tears escaped her eyes as she spoke."That...that bitch tortured me for so long... how could something so fragile and small possibly survive?" Hermione looked up to Severus and stifled a sob.

He moved so that he was facing the witch; both of them sharing a pillow as their eyes locked with one another.

"I didn't even know the gender at the time," she continued. "I just knew that I couldn't feel the bond I had with my baby anymore...I still don't know if he suffered or if he's still suffering in some way. I've never heard of a pregnant witch enduring the torture curse...and surviving." She leaned into Snape's hand when it came up to wipe the tears from her damp cheeks.

"You are able to feel your bond now." Severus pointed out just above a whisper.

Nodding, Hermione sniffled, "About two or three days after we got away, I was able to feel him again."

Severus wiped away more of her tears, "Then I'm sure he's fine, Hermione."

"I don't know what I'll do if he was hurt by that curse…" The nightmare she'd just awoken from mixed with her continued concern for her baby. She closed her eyes and struggled to push away from Severus so she could curl into a ball and cry. Snape refused to let her move, though, and she ended up holding on to him for dear life as great sobs shook her body.

"I promised..." She whimpered in between her sobs. "I-I... was supposed to keep him safe... I failed... I've failed our son." Her words were muffled into the dark wizard's chest as he held her to him; not uttering a word for the longest time. It was only when her sobs became sniffles that his scratchy voice filled the young witch's ears.

"You have not failed." He whispered; his lips touching the shell of her ear. "You, Hermione, have succeeded in every possible sense of the word. You are alive...after being through a war. Your child is alive. Those two facts alone should be more than enough evidence that you've succeeded." He smoothed her hair. "If you are this troubled, you should seek a healer to run tests on the boy."

"Our," she mumbled as she pulled away and her puffy cinnamon eyes gazed at him. "He's _our _child."

His obsidian orbs locked with her eyes and they stared at each other for a long moment. Then Severus inhaled deeply and averted his eyes. "Hermione..."

The young witch didn't know what the wizard was about to say but she had a feeling it wasn't going to be good. Knowing she couldn't take any bad or devastatingly realistic words at the moment, Hermione pressed her fingers to Snape's lips and then replaced them with her lips.

When the dark wizard finally responded, their kiss quickly went from tentative to frenzied.

Hermione broke away and whispered, "Severus, I would never trap you...with me or our baby. You never asked for any of this..."

The dark wizard wiped more of Hermione's stray tears away with his thumb. "Neither did you."

"No…but I couldn't picture it any other way. I wouldn't want to." Shaking her head, the witch tugged on the quilt. As soon as it was free from under Snape, she wrapped it around herself and got out of the bed. "I have to hurry and get ready for Fred's funeral." Grabbing her bag from the floor, Hermione kept her head down and hurried into the bathroom. When the door closed, she leaned against it and sighed.

They had been dangerously close to broaching a subject she didn't know if she was ready to discuss.

Their future.

She'd just gotten him back; having a discussion of their likely separation seemed all too overwhelming.

**0o0o0o0**

"Damn it all to…" Nearly fifty minutes later, Hermione opened the bathroom door; dressed in only a pair of black slacks and matching bra. Her hair was still up in a towel and she was holding her dress robe. "How in the bloody hell am I to charm my robe if I don't have a wand?" She resolutely ignored the awkward tension hanging in the air between them. Snape seemed to be doing the same.

The dark wizard was sitting at the table, sipping tea. "Do not tell me that the know-it-all doesn't know the nearly elementary wandless spell for shrinking and enlarging your clothes?" he stood.

Glaring at him, she tossed the garment on the bed and said, "I've been trying for the last fifteen minutes to put a glamour on that damned robe! I guess I'll have to wear something else." The witch went back into the bathroom to start fighting with her hair.

Pulling the fabric from the bed, Severus looked the robe over. "And why are you attempting to put a glamour charm on this?"

Fingering Sleekeazy through her locks in order to tame all of the frizz, Hermione answered, "Because, I'm sporting a rather noticeable baby bump. While it's not the size of a beach ball yet, I'd be surprised if even the most clueless wizard in Britain didn't notice it."

Standing, Severus tossed the garment back on the bed and started waving his right hand in an intricate pattern. "Yes, how is Mr. Weasley?"

Not catching the jibe because she was preoccupied with her hair, the witch asked, "Which one?"

"All of them, really." The wizard smirked at Hermione's sound of indignation.

With her hair as tame as it was ever going to be, the young witch stomped out of the restroom. "Severus Snape, you-"

"Relax, witch."

"No, that was insensitive!"

"And I'm the poster wizard for sensitivity." Picking up her robe, Severus turned and handed it to her. "Whether you want to admit it or not, you know all of the Weasley men are clueless; Ronald Weasley being the worst of them all."

Grabbing her robe, Hermione frowned at the wizard. "You're horrible."

"Thank you." Pointing to her robe, Severus explained. "I have put a glamour on that so you don't have to search for something else to wear."

"Thanks." Hermione put on the robe and began lacing up the bodice.

Her steel blue robe was made of crushed velvet. It had a cross-laced bodice with a large hood, tendril collar and bell-styled long sleeves. It flared down to an asymmetrical, lettuce styled hem. The longest pieces of fabric went to her knees. It was the last thing her mother bought for her before she went on the run.

As soon as the laces were done up, the witch's midsection glittered and flattened out.

With her nose back in her beaded bag, Hermione accio'd a pair of simple black flip-flops and put them on.

Being that Fred's funeral was going to be a traditional wizard's funeral, shoes weren't really needed because much of the ceremony would call for the attendees to be barefoot; an ancient tradition said to bring one's spirit and magic closer to nature as well as the deceased.

"Alright, I have to get going," Hermione pulled a curly tendril behind her ear and turned to Severus who was still standing near her and staring at her flat stomach. She smiled, "It seems odd every time my stomach goes back to how it was… I feel like I'm missing something." Her hands moved back and forth across her tummy.

Snape watched her hands for a moment before reaching out to lightly pull them away so he could place his hand there. "You haven't, though." His onyx eyes found her cinnamon ones, "You haven't lost anything, you're only hiding him. He's not going away-"

"I know and I would never want him to." Hermione put her hands over Snape's.

"So what's your plan then, go from one hotel to another, hiding the fact that you're pregnant until you're in St. Mungo's giving birth? And what will you do if the boy has my features instead of yours? How will you explain that and how do you think he'll be treated by your friends… the whole British wizarding community?"

Hermione pulled away, "I don't plan on hiding my pregnancy for much longer, I just haven't found the best time-"

"There'll never be a 'best time', Hermione." Severus said but the witch kept speaking.

"-and I don't plan on living in a hotel room for the rest of my life, but I don't have much money. Harry offered to let me stay at Grimmauld Place. I might take him up on it until I find a job and save some money for a place of my own."

"And do you think that offer will stand once he knows you're pregnant with a child I sired?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

Hermione bit her lower lip; not sure of the answer. Instead, she asked a few questions of her own. "And what would you like me to do, Severus? Cancel the glamour, go to the funeral, tell everyone just who knocked me up and _definitely_ become a person of interest in your escape?" Her voice rose, "Would you like me to hide him for eternity or give him away? How _exactly_ should I handle this?"

The dark wizard offered no answers; he simply kept staring into her eyes.

Shaking her head, Hermione took a deep breath and said. "I have to go." She moved around the wizard.

"We have to talk about this!"

Her hand on the doorknob, the witch looked back at Snape. "I know… We will, when I get back or something, but I have to go now."

His jaw clenched and he said, "Remember to apparate to a few different places before coming back here," with a fair amount of anger in his tone.

She moved to open the door and walked swiftly into the hallway.

**0o0o0o0**

Apparating to the Burrow, Hermione noticed that quite a few people had already arrived to pay their respects.

She was halfway up the path when she spotted Harry and Gin.

They were dressed in traditional robes. Harry's was crisp and all black, Ginny's was a royal blue sleek velvet dress that went to her ankles and had a hood and sleeves similar to Hermione's.

Walking over to them, she hugged Ginny. "How are you?"

The redhead sniffled and shrugged, "As well as I can be, I suppose." She leaned back against her boyfriend and gazed at the growing crowd. "It still feels as if this is all just a dream and I'll wake up to see Fred trying to sneak stink pellets under my bedcovers."

Hermione chuckled at that as she surveyed the crowd as well. "Where's Ron?"

"Still getting dressed," Harry answered, "Couldn't wake him up for anything this morning."

"Speaking of," Ginny nodded towards the brother in question who was yawning and making his way through the crowd.

Ron was wearing a noticeably worn but still rather sharp black wizarding robe; similar to Harry's. "Oi, you lot haven't seen Charlie, have you? Mum's looking for him."

"He was talking with George, last I saw." Harry offered.

The ginger-headed boy just shrugged before smiling crookedly, "Hi Mione."

She hugged him, "Hello Ron."

"So where'd you go off to, yesterday? Mum was asking after you; thought you'd be around for dinner."

"Oh, I was just so emotionally drained after the funeral. I got back to my hotel room and went to sleep." Hermione lied.

"I thought you said you sorted everything out?" Ron said, "When are you going to quit this bollocks about being on your own?"

"You know what I think?" Harry spoke up. "I don't think you are alone, Mi."

Panic filled the witch as she stared at her friend. "Beg your pardon?"

He looked at her appraisingly, "I think you're with your bloke."

"Bloke?" Ginny's eyes bulged, "What bloke?"

Alarm bells sounded in Hermione's head. Logically, she knew she hadn't given away anything about her relationship with Severus but the paranoid part of her was almost convinced that Harry knew all about it.

Harry turned to Ron, "I bet she's been off this whole time, reuniting with him properly."

"What bloke?" Ginny asked again.

Ron's face twisted with disgust, "Bloody hell, Harry, I didn't need that image in my head!"

"What bloke?" the redheaded witch's eyes darted between her friend, brother and boyfriend.

"Is that true, Mione?" Ron turned to the witch, "Have you been with that wizard you told us about?"

_Shit!_

Deciding the best way to answer was with the truth -just not the whole truth- she smiled weakly, "Yeah, it's true."

"So, when we kissed… you know, at the battle… It didn't mean anything?"

Hermione bit her lower lip, "Not romantically. I'm sorry but everything was crazy and you were coming up with brilliant ideas! I was…"

Ron frowned, "Yeah, I get it. The bloody idiot was finally using his head, yeah?"

"NO! Ron, you know that's not what I meant. It wasn't like that."

He was still scowling, "Yeah, whatever, Mi."

"Ron…!" Hermione didn't know what to say.

"WHAT BLOKE?" Ginny shouted.

Harry put his arm around his girlfriend, "Hermione has a boyfriend that she refuses to tell us about."

Gin turned to Hermione and narrowed her eyes. "You have a boyfriend and you haven't _told_ me?"

"I haven't told anyone."

"But you promised to tell us after the war." Harry chimed in. "So who is he?"

Hermione could have kissed Percy for interrupting at that moment; informing them all that the congregation was about to apparate to where the ceremony was being held.

**0o0o0o0**

They apparated to an unremarkable but attractive green field full of daisies. Off in the distance was a platform with a very bright red casket on top of it.

Hermione noticed Charlie and George standing near the platform and was about to follow the others over when she felt a sharp pinch to her arm. "Ow…!" the witch turned to see Ginny scowling at her.

"How could you _not_ tell me you had a boyfriend?"

"Ginny, is this really the time to talk about who I'm seeing?"

Ginny huffed, "Of course not, but later, I'm going to need to take my mind off of all of this…sadness," she pinched Hermione's arm again before linking their arms together, "and that's when you're going to dish."

Rubbing her arm, the witch sighed and walked with her ginger-headed friend.

Being at a magical funeral was an experience for most people -especially those who hadn't grown up in the wizarding world- but Fred's funeral was on a level all its own.

Traditionally, the ceremony took place outside; usually a field or forest clearing and was always a place of great significance to the family or the deceased.

Stepping up on the platform, an emotional Molly Weasley kissed Fred's cheek before turning and telling the congregation of the time he and George showed their first signs of magic.

"As many of you can imagine, my Fred and George were quite the handful growing up." Molly smiled to the large crowd.

Everyone circled around the platform; immediate family members forming the inner circle.

Hermione walked Ginny over to Ron before trying to pull away and take a place in the next circle when Ron's hand caught her shoulder.

His eyes locked with hers, "You're family, Mi, and you belong in this circle."

The witch turned to see Harry take his place in the circle next to George and Ginny. She smiled and took Ron's hand; staying in the inner circle.

As the rest of the congregation made the outer rings, Hermione noticed that the second circle was made up of Order members; the third was made up of DA members and professors. The fourth looked to be Gryffindors and friends. The circles went on; rippling away from Fred who was in the very center.

"When they were young lads; couldn't have been older than four years old. Well, Arthur got home from work early and I thought it would be nice to get the children out of the house for a bit. We came to this very field for a nice picnic." Her lower lip quivered. "No surprise that Fred and George were great balls of energy, zipping all about and giving their brothers a run for their money." Mrs. Weasley's voice cracked as tears slid down her pink cheeks. "Georgie bit off a little more than he could chew when he accidentally enlarged a bee and got stung. He looked so adorably pathetic with those big crocodile tears falling from his pink little cheeks. Nothing seemed to calm him down," she smiled at the memory. "But then little Freddie picked a daisy and brought it over to his brother. It wasn't an ordinary daisy, though. Freddie made the whole flower change bright, obnoxious colors. When George began to giggle, the bi-big-biggest…" Molly's voice cracked and quivered again.

Arthur stepped onto the platform and moved to put his arm around his distraught wife.

"…When Georgie giggled, the biggest smile I'd ever seen lit up Freddie's face. He beamed up at me, so bright, and said, "Look mummy, I made Georgie laugh!" Molly stifled a sob. "He was so proud and genuinely happy that he had done such a thing." She took a moment to compose herself. "Th-that's how Fred was. He was always endeavoring to make people laugh… It was when he was the happiest…"

Barefoot in the vast field, Hermione listened to Mrs. Weasley struggle through her story with tears cascading down her cheeks. Ginny was standing next to her and -like the day before- offered up a hanky. The young witch took it and then pulled her ginger-haired friend into a tight hug.

After the family matriarch finished her story, Arthur helped her off the platform and motioned for George to step forward.

As George moved from the circle to stand next to his twin's casket, Hermione noticed that he was wearing a black wizarding robe with a lime green shirt and electric blue tie.

Fred was dressed in a very vivid electric blue wizarding robe with a black shirt and a lime green tie.

The witch thought it was sweet and tasteful that George matched his brother in a very understated way.

_Well, understated for him._

Hermione watched George stare down at Fred for a long while before wiping his eyes and looking around.

He cast a _Sonorus_ charm and began speaking. "I'd like to thank everyone for coming. I know many of you are on day passes from St. Mungo's to pay your respects and others have funerals to plan for their own loved ones." George cleared his throat. "My family has elected me to speak for them today and I have to wonder just what in the bloody hell they were thinking."

Molly gasped in shock while just about everyone else chuckled.

"What can I say about my twin brother other than he was my soul mate." A tear fell from George's eye. "We had a bond that is impossible to articulate. We knew each other's thoughts and finished each other's sentences. At times, we were our worst enemies, but we always have been and always will be each other's best friends." He took a moment to wipe his eyes and clear his throat. "What most of you know is that Fred and I were quite the deviant pranksters but what you didn't know was that Fred was a dreamer… _The_ dreamer. You see, all of our pranks and most of our products were born from dreams or ideas Fred had. All he ever wanted to do was have fun and make sure everyone else was having a good time too." George cleared his throat once more before smiling. "So, in honor of Fredrick Weasley, let's make this gathering a celebration of his life, not a mourning of his passing. It's what he would have wanted and being his twin, I believe I should start it off." George produced a stick of something from his jacket pocket. "It took me nearly three days to make this." He turned to his twin and smiled. "Fred, you cheeky bastard, I hope wherever you are that you have a smile on your face and are making everyone around you wet themselves with laughter. This is for you, mate." With that, George lit the stick he was holding and tossed it in the air.

Hermione watched as the stick exploded into many different vibrant, sparkling colors. It wasn't long before the witch realized what George did. In the sky was the smiling face of Fred. George had made a custom Fred Weasley firecracker face. Fred's large sparkling face winked and laughed as he looked around the crowd.

Applause and cheers erupted from the congregation and thus began the celebration.

Many people took their turn in the center of the circles, next to Fred and spoke of all the times he started parties in the Gryffindor tower, told jokes to pull people out of their bad moods, devised ingenious ways for students to cheat on exams or get out of class and help bring about one of the best shops in wizarding history. The stories brought about both cheers and tears but it all fit Fred Weasley to a 'T'.

For his funeral to go any other way wouldn't have been suitable for the exceptionally unique twin.

**0o0o0o0**

**More is on the way.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.**

_**Monkeywand**_** is a superstar!**

**Reviews put a smile on my face...just sayin! :-)**

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"…He's gone…he's gone…my sweet baby boy is _gone_…! By the gods, why?" Molly cried into her hanky as the last bit of earth was placed over Fred's grave.

After the unorthodox funeral ceremony, everyone apparated to the cemetery where Fred was lain to rest.

Now, as people started dispersing, Hermione stayed behind with Arthur, Molly, George, Ginny, Harry and Ron; the rest of the Weasleys led family, members of the Order and DA back to the Burrow for the reception.

Hermione squeezed Ginny's hand while they watched George run his hands over Fred's headstone.

"Work never, play always, party hard and rest in peace, brother."

George's words had his mum wail a great sob as she almost fell to the ground. Her knees buckled under her grief but Arthur and Ron caught her while the girls gathered around and crooned words of remorse and love to her as she cried.

Hermione sniffled, "I'm so sorry, Molly. I can't even begin to fathom how you feel…"

"Mama, Freddie's in a better place now…" Ginny whispered. "He wouldn't want you crying like this…"

"Oh, my wonderful girls…" Molly whimpered as she wiped her swollen eyes.

"Excuse me?"

Everyone turned towards the unfamiliar voice.

Roughly fifteen paces away, Hermione saw Auror Ceslav Truth standing on the narrow gravel pathway.

Truth smiled, "I apologize for interrupting-"

"Can't you see we are busy, mate?" Ron hissed.

"Yes, but I assure you my reasons for interrupting are important."

Arthur made sure his wife was supported by Ron before directing his attention back to the Auror. "What can we help you with?"

Truth cleared his throat, "First and foremost, I wish to extend my sincere condolences to your family for your loss."

Arthur frowned even as he nodded, "Thank you, but you said this was important."

"And it is," the Auror hastened to say as he stepped closer to the group, "As you all must know, Severus Snape has escaped; I am head of the investigation." He stuck out his right hand, "Auror Ceslav Truth."

The Weasley Patriarch looked at the Auror's hand for a long moment before shaking it. "And what does that have to do with us?"

"I believe I may have stumbled upon a lead, a lead that has led me here to question a…" he pulled out a piece of parchment from his robes, "Hermione Granger." Truth's blue eyes cut to Hermione as his smile turned to one of triumph.

Hermione scowled.

Harry turned to his friend before stepping up to Truth. "I don't care how important you feel your questions are, your timing is inappropriate and blatantly disrespectful! Now, have a bit of decency and let us mourn in peace. I'm sure Hermione wouldn't mind answering any questions you have first thing in the morning."

"I assure you, Mr. Potter, I meant no disrespect but time is of the essence. There is, after all, a ruthless killer on the loose."

Harry seemed as if he was about to say something else but Hermione touched his shoulder as she stepped passed him. "It's alright, Harry, while I agree with you; I would rather answer Auror Truth's questions now than have him come around later."

"Mi, are you sure?" Harry asked.

"I'll stay with you, Mione." Ginny offered.

She shook her head, "I'll be fine. You go on and I'll meet up with you at the Burrow."

"Don't be long, love." Arthur said before he turned and gave Truth a curt nod.

Then it was just Hermione and Truth standing in the middle of the cemetery. The witch turned and scowled at the Auror. "Now, Auror Truth, just what questions do you have that you think I can answer?"

"Why don't we apparate to the Auror off-"

"No, you interrupted this intimate moment of grief to ask these questions; surely they can't wait a _moment_ longer." Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the tall wizard through narrow eyes. "Out with it, then!"

The Auror clenched his square jaw before speaking, "Miss Granger, you are quite a…difficult witch to get a hold of. Ministry owls have searched for you all morning."

She gave him a very fake sweet smile, "Well, you've found me. Now ask your bloody questions."

"Are you currently in possession of your wand?"

"No, it was taken from me nearly two months ago."

"Did you come across another that you have been using?"

"Yes, I was in possession of Bellatrix Lestrange's wand until just after the battle." She huffed, "What does this have to do with Snape's disappearance?"

Truth didn't answer her, "And what wand have you been using since?"

"None! What does this hav-"

"I'm asking the questions here, princess!" Truth barked as he took a step towards the witch. He continued in a menacing hiss, "Almost thirty-six hours ago the ministry ordered a trace on Snape's wand."

"And did you find it?" Hermione asked boredly.

"It's last magical signature was mapped an hour north of Budapest, where it was found; charred in a fire pit."

"So then why are you wasting time asking me about which wands I've been using? Clearly Snape is on the run far out of your jurisdiction!"

Truth nodded, "That's what the department believes. The Wizengamot wants me to send the case file on and hope that Aurors in another country will have better luck, but I," he shook his index finger in front of the witch's face as he smirked, "I'm not about to let go so easily." That triumphant smile found its place on his face again. "Thanks to a few words from our esteemed Minister and a bit of digging, I'm now rather glad I hadn't handed the case over. You see, Shacklebolt spoke of how clever Snape is. He stated that the most obvious lead was most likely the one Snape wants us to follow. _I_ haven't fallen for Snape's slimy little trai-"

Hermione crossed her arms, "Are we going to arrive at your point any time soon or do you just like hearing yourself talk? If it's the latter, do I really need to be present for your gloat-a-thon?"

"SHUT IT YOU AGGRAVATING LITTLE…!" The tall Auror scrunched his eyes shut, balled his fists and let out a long breath. When he looked upon the witch again, his eyes were threatening. "Where were you the evening of May seventh?"

The way Truth was almost looming over her made Hermione more than a bit uncomfortable. "I was in my hotel room, asleep."

"Can anyone vouch for you?"

"No, it's not like-"

"And isn't it true that you were in the lobby of St. Mungo's the morning of May second?" Truth interrupted.

"You saw me, you know I was!"

He grinned, "That's right, I did see you. I'm not the only one who saw you either."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "I'd imagine not."

"Nathan Day, a medi-wizard on shift that morning, told me he saw you in the lobby with an unconscious Severus Snape; not long before I was tipped off about him being in the hospital." He sighed, "It's amazing what people will let loose with ten galleons slipping their way into casual conversation. He said you demanded to see your friend several times."

"These aren't important questions, Truth; this is just you playing a horrendous game of connect-the-dots with nothing more than 'he said, she said' nonsense. Now, if you are quite through with wasting my time, I have somewhere I need to be." She had just gotten a clear picture of the Burrow in her head when Truth shouted,

"'He said, she said' nonsense, ay? Then why when I went back to read the time stamps and locations of Snape's wand trail, did I find his wand used mere seconds after I left the lobby the morning of the second…_in_ the lobby? Why was his wand's signature found in the alley two minutes after that, or ten and a quarter minutes _after that_? What about the handful of times his wand was used in the muggle hospital just down the way or the dozen times it was used in a hotel room in Manchester?" Truth spat. "All of those occurring at times I _know_ Snape was incapacitated!"

"Then clearly his wand was stolen!" Hermione snapped back.

"And if his wand hadn't shown up in his hospital room or that Manchester hotel room the night of his escape, I might be inclined to believe you!" Truth's eyes were wild.

"I don't care what you believe; I'm still trying to figure out what this massive load of _shit_ has to do with me!"

"Do you know a Jean Gardener?"

The witch did her best not to flinch as she narrowed her eyes at the Auror, "Should I?"

"I don't know, Hermione _Jean Granger_, but I find it very curious that Jean Gardener checked out of the muggle hospital a few blocks from St. Mungo's a day after the final battle. That same Jean Gardener checked into that hotel in Manchester."

"Well, look at you; it seems you've stumbled upon evidence of Snape having an accomplice. Now why don't you run along and find her."

"I BELIEVE I ALREADY HAVE!"

Hermione stared stonily at Truth but inwardly she was an anxious ball of nerves.

The Auror stepped close to the petite witch as he continued in a low voice, "You see, I think you _are_ Jean Gardener. I think it was you who took Snape to St. Mungo's, you who used his wand, you who broke into his hospital room and you who helped him escape. I think you know where he is and where he's going."

Cocking her head to the side, Hermione spoke in a low tone of her own. "And, other than the words of a medi-wizard bribed with galleons, what _solid_ evidence do you have to tie me into your fantastic _fictional_ story?"

The Auror didn't answer the witch.

She nodded and took a step closer to Truth, "Well, I'd like to see just how far you get with accusing one third of the Golden Trio of being an accomplice to the most hated wizard in the world's escape. Isn't the post for Head-Auror still available?"

A vain in the middle of Truth's forehead bulged as he noticeably struggled to keep his composure. "Well… we can clear all of this up very easily," he forced a smile, "if you would just accompany me down to the Auror office and consent to taking a few drops of Veritase-"

"What grounds do you have to ask such a thing of me?"

"Miss Granger, surely you'd want to clear your name-"

"And if you had anything other than your imagination to sully it, I might consent." Hermione hissed, "If you come near me again spouting these baseless allegations, I'll have you done for slander and harassment!" With that, she apparated away.

****0o0o0o0****

Hermione Apparated to the burrow; still incensed at Auror Truth's nerve as she strode up the path.

"Hey, Mione!"

Called out of her thoughts, Hermione looked around the massive gathering in the garden to find Harry waving her over with a worried look plastered on his face. With a forced smile, she made her way over to him.

"So what in the hell did that pillock want?" Ginny asked as she handed Hermione a glass of pumpkin juice.

"Oh, he just wanted to be an accusatory prick."

Both Harry and Gin's eyes rounded before Harry quickly asked, "What does he have on you?"

"Nothing, right? You didn't do anything." Gin whispered.

Hermione huffed, "He has nothing concrete or he would have said as much."

"Is there any doubt," Gin asked, "Mi?"

Hermione grasped for redirection. "You know these Aurors…too proud to admit their faults so they try and pin them on someone else. Where's Ron?"

Harry looked to his girlfriend and then back to his friend. "But you only took Snape to the hospital. What could he possibly accuse you of, a bleeding heart?" he sniggered.

"No, Harry," The young witch hissed; trying to keep her voice down so no one else could listen in on the conversation, "Try aiding and abetting a fugitive!"

At that, Harry's sobered and Ginny looked positively frantic.

"H-he can't do that!"

"No, he can't! Tomorrow, you need to go to the Ministry and clear this load of bollocks up. Gin and I will come with you."

"Look, can we just..._not_ talk about this right now?" Hermione asked with slightly pleading eyes. "Where's Ron?" The suspicious look that came over Harry's face made her want to squirm.

Ginny spoke up, not noticing the slight tension between her friend and her boyfriend, "He was the unfortunate soul chosen to help look after mum in the kitchen. She won't let anyone cook, not even now!"

Not too far from them, a group began to laugh.

"Oh, look! George must be regaling the crowd of his and Fred's best pranks!" Ginny pointed over to George in the center of the group.

Hermione nudged Harry's shoulder. "Let's go see what he's on about, yeah?"

Harry looked very much like he did not want to drop the former subject but sighed and nodded. "I wonder if he'll bring up that time in third year when he and Fred gave Ron that gigantic sucker for his birthday."

Both girls giggled.

"Yeah, but instead of the middle being filled with chocolate, like Fred said, it was filled with a tarantula!" Ginny's giggle turned into an all out laugh.

"Well, to be fair, Fred wasn't lying because it was chocolate charmed to simulate a real tarantula." Hermione laughed.

"Remember how Ron screamed like a girl and then fainted in the common room when he finally got to the middle?" Gin asked.

Harry had to wipe tears from his face due to all his laughter. "I've never heard such a scream come from a bloke! Remember when we told the twins at dinner? McGonagall had to deduct points from us for disrupting the Hall; we all were laughing so hard!"

All three of them continued to laugh as they made their way over to the crowd.

****0o0o0o0****

What was supposed to be a brief appearance at the Burrow had turned into a day-long affair.

_Okay, maybe that's exaggerating just a bit._

Hermione had been at the Burrow for four hours now. Every time she tried to say her goodbyes, someone else would rope her into conversation.

At the moment, she was speaking to a distraught Angelina Johnson about how her former boyfriend was a prankster to the core. She spoke of their many dates that were filled with laughter and childish jokes. Hermione laughed along with her and tried her best to console Angie when she started to cry but was thankful for George showing up at their side to try and cheer the saddened witch up by telling more stories about he and Fred when they were younger.

Seeing that Angie was in good hands, Hermione tried again to leave. Saying her goodbyes to everyone yet again, she turned around and began walking to the apparition point. She'd made it only half way before she heard her name being called again.

"Hermione!"

She turned around to see Ron, Ginny and Harry walking down the path towards her.

"I thought you'd left already." Gin spoke.

Ron nodded, "Yeah, didn't you say goodbye to all of us over an hour ago?"

Taking a deep breath, Hermione nodded. "Yes, but then I got stopped by others to _talk_."

Obviously her friends were oblivious to her hint as they joined her.

"Well, we were just about to walk down to the pond for a bit of a reprieve." Harry said.

"Yeah, all this laughing, then crying, then laughing again is making me mental." Ron said.

Ginny hooked her arm around Hermione's. "Come with, yeah?" the redhead grinned, "Because, I've just found out that _you_ have a boyfriend and I _must_ hear all about him!"

Hermione tried to pull herself from her friend's grasp. "Ginny, really... there's not much to tell..."

"Yeah there is," Ron cut in, "Like his bloody name."

"Yeah, Mi, you told us you'd give up your mystery man's identity once the war was over." Harry urged but there was something in his eyes that didn't seem good-natured, "We're no longer on the run now so who is he?"

As her friends pushed her for information, Hermione was warring with whether she should tell the truth, tell a lie or tell them nothing at all. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed her friends pulling her off the path and to the pond until it was too late.

Watching Harry take a seat on a dead tree trunk and Ron move to gather ideal rocks for skipping, Hermione heaved a defeated sigh and looked to her friend still entwined in her arm. "Alright, I'll tell you."

The redheaded witch squealed with delight before running over to her boyfriend and sitting on his lap; obviously getting ready for juicy details. "So, who is he? How did you meet?"

Ron turned from skipping stones. "Yeah and where _is_ your lover boy?" his tone was part hostile, part sarcastic.

Still standing, Hermione moved forward in the conversation carefully. "He's...staying with me."

All three friends looked on in shock before Ginny beamed, "You were right, Harry, Mi is reuniting _well_ proper with her man! Tell. Me. Everything!"

"Yuck! Please don't!" Ron looked disgusted and a bit green.

"Don't worry, I won't."

Ginny whined, "Oh, but why not? I told you all the sordid details about me and Harry!"

Both Ron and Harry looked horrified.

"You told Hermione about our sex-life?" Harry whispered in shock.

Ron shouted, "You already shagged my sister?"

"Oh, Ron, don't be daft. Of course he has!"

"When?" The redheaded wizard immediately started shaking his head, "No, never mind, I don't wanna know!"

"Too late," Ginny sing-songed. "Let's see…We fucked like rabbits the night before Bill and Fleur's wedding," the redheaded witch said off-handedly, "he about gave me a concussion with the way he drove me into the headboard the night we got back to the Burrow; after the battle... Oh, and last night, Harry gave me a proper tongue lashing in the shower. You know, when you were banging on the bathroom door, telling me to stop dropping things and hurry up." Ginny smiled at her brother's look of shocked disbelief.

"GINNY!" Harry's face was beet red.

Ron blinked several times before his eyes closed and his hands went up to plug his bright red ears. "No more, no more! I don't need that image... I don't _want_ that image!" Bending over, the redhead dry-heaved a few times.

Hermione felt for her friend. Hearing about your sister's sex-life with your friend has to be a bit damaging. The witch hoped, however, that Gin's crassness deflected any line of questioning involving her and her wizard.

"Ronald, don't be so melodramatic. Harry and I are dating; did you think we just hugged to show affection?"

Kneeling on the ground, Ron shook his head, "Of course not, but I didn't think you two were shaggin'...and I sure as hell don't want any more details!"

Rolling her eyes, Ginny smacked her brother upside the head. "It's human nature, for fuck's sake!" She turned to the silent witch standing awkwardly a few feet away from the rest of them. "So, tell us about your wizard, Mione."

_Fuck..._

"Well... He was in the Final Battle and was hurt; pretty severely actually."

"Ooo, have you been playing healer, Hermione?" Ginny winked.

Hermione huffed, "Would you please pull your mind out of the gutter, Gin."

"I make no promises."

"Well, the answer is no, I haven't. He's still healing but doing much bet-"

"Stop stalling, Hermione," Harry piped up. "Who is he? Why don't you want to tell us his name?"

"Because he isn't exactly someone who runs in our circle."

Ginny and Ron frowned but Harry just glared darkly at his friend.

Ron asked, "Does he go to Hogwarts?"

"He does... did."

"Well, I know all of the Gryffindors and most of the Ravenclaws. What's his name?" Ginny asked; sitting on Harry's knee and practically bursting with excitement. "Come on, Mi, It's been such a bad week, filled with tears. I need a distraction as well as a spot of good news. What better way to satisfy both than with some good ol' fashioned girl talk?"

Smiling weakly, Hermione shrugged as her eyes locked with Harry's narrowed ones. "I'm not sure but I do believe you won't find good news in whatever I have to say." she nibbled her lower lip, "Distraction, most definitely..."

"Oh, don't tell me you're dating a _Hufflepuff_." Ron said with distaste.

"No, definitely not a Hufflepuff."

Ron relaxed, "Well, I can't think of anything worse than a Hufflepuff... Unless he's a..." He went still.

"_Slytherin_," Harry spat, "go on Ron, say it. Better yet, ask Hermione the question running through your mind right now."

Standing, the ginger-headed wizard did just that, "Hermione, you're not dating a…S-Slytherin...are you?"

The silence was deafening and finally Hermione tried to break the building tension. "What is dating, really?"

Unfortunately, Ginny decided to speak up again. "Merlin, you can't be serious! Did you shag this mystery wizard or not? Was it a onetime thing, are you fuck buddies or is this…deeper? Is he a Slytherin?"

"Gin," Hermione sighed while shaking her head.

"Hermione!" Harry shouted; getting everyone's attention. He nudged Gin off of his lap and stood. "Are you or are you not seeing a Slytherin?"

"What do you me-"

"Don't play dumb, Hermione, you were never any good at it!" Harry spat, stepping closer to his friend. "The bloke you've been keeping secret for months now, is he a Slytherin?"

Hermione didn't want to answer because this answer would change everything. "Harry..."

"Answer the question!"

Looking from an angry Harry to a wary Ginny and then to a shocked Ron, Hermione dropped her eyes down to the ground. "Harry, don't-"

"ANSWER IT!"

Jumping slightly, the young witch looked up at her irate friend and narrowed her eyes before screaming right back, "YES!" Glancing at her other friends, she repeated, "Yes, he's a Slytherin."

"Hermione...how could you?" Harry whispered.

When her eyes locked with her friend's, Hermione knew that he already knew who she was referring to.

They just stared at each other.

Ron shook his head, "No, I don't believe it. She's joking." He looked at his sister and then nudged his messy haired friend. "She's just having a laugh." forcing a laugh, he continued, "She's just pants at it, is all." Ron turned to Hermione and smiled. "Let's put pranking on your list of things you can't do well, Mi. Now tell Gin and Harry that you would never even think of being with a Slytherin, okay?"

Hermione said nothing as she and Harry kept staring at each other.

"How could you? After everything he's done?" Harry hissed.

Tears slid down Hermione's cheeks as she stared into Harry's green eyes.

"H-Hermione?" Ron whispered; dread filling his voice.

Harry was seething as he spat, "Give over, will you Ron! Hermione isn't just winding us up! Her fucking mystery man is _Snape_!"

"Wha...Snape? Where in the name of Merlin would you get _that _idea?" Ginny shrieked.

Ron shook his head, still in shock. "You wouldn't... Snape?"

"After what he's done t-to me? After what he's done to countless others…?" Gin looked as if she'd just been slapped. "H-how could you?"

Hermione tried to contain her sobs, "Because... Severus isn't what everyone thinks he is. He was always on our side...!"

"_Severus_, is it?" Harry snarled.

"WHO FUCKING SAYS?" Ron shouted as he stepped closer to the witch; anger radiating off of him. "Just because _he_ said so? Who cares? He's the arsehole that treated us like shit from the day we entered Hogwarts! He's the bastard who killed Dumbledore, took George's ear and _tortured_ my little sister!"

"Don't forget, mate, Snape was who Mione was speaking of in the forest. You know…the one she _loves_!" Harry spoke over his friend's shoulder.

Ron looked as if he'd been gutted.

Everyone turned when they heard a rather sharp inhale come from Ginny.

The redheaded witch pointed to Hermione. "He's _staying_ with you! Th-that means you knew that he'd broken out of the hospital... Y-you _knew _a-and you said _nothing_!"

"Wait… that Auror questioned you… you said he didn't have solid evidence. Did you help Snape escape?" Harry asked.

Hermione was trying not to hyperventilate as she cried and attempted to explain. "He was about to be put in Azkaban! He doesn't deserve to be put there when everything he did was to help us! I couldn't let that happen!"

"Happen?" Harry asked angrily "...H-how could you be so stupid?"

"I'M NOT! Who else would have helped him if I hadn't?"

"NO ONE, BECAUSE ROTTING IN THE DEEPEST PIT OF AZKABAN IS WHERE HE BELONGS!" Harry screamed; getting in the witch's face.

"NO HE DOESN'T!"

"How could you possibly say that...?" Ginny wiped angrily at her tears.

"BECAUSE!" Hermione forced a breath and spoke in a slightly calmer tone. "Because... he was forced…_forced_ to walk a razor sharp edge… for years… a lifetime…!"

"HA! That's fucking rich!" Harry said acidly. "How could you buy into that bullshit?"

"And what was his excuse for torturing my sister and those forth years we heard about?" Ron spat.

The witch wiped her eyes.

Harry shook his head. "Don't you see? He did everything he did just because he could!"

"He did those things to save everyone at Hogwarts from worse fates! Do you really think anyone, Slytherins included, would have survived within those walls a day if Bellatrix Lestrange became Headmistress? That is _exactly_ what would have happened if Snape showed even a modicum of decency or concern for anyone at Hogwarts!"

"Yet another unfounded truth from the good professor? Who knows for sure if Bellatrix wanted the Headmistress position?" Harry argued. "You see what you want to see in him!"

"And you choose to see the worst in him! You always have!" The young witch shook her head. "And that's all you'll ever choose to see."

"Hermione, this isn't you." Ron spoke up, "What has he done to you? Has he threatened to hurt you if you don't help him? Has he cursed you?"

Hermione forcefully shook her head as she backed away, "NO! He's done _nothing_ but confide in me!" She stared at her friends. "But no matter what I say, you won't believe me or see him in a different light so I think I should go now." she turned but what Harry said stopped her in her tracks.

"If you leave... If you go back to wherever he is, don't expect me to keep your secret."

Turning to him, the witch frowned, "What?"

He squared his shoulders. "If you leave to go to him... I'll go to the Auror office myself and tell them what you've done." his eyes were glassy as he repeatedly clenched his jaw.

"Harry!" Ron uttered in shock. "You don't mean that!"

"Harry, you can't," Gin said quickly. "If they knew she helped Snape, they'd arrest her for aiding, abetting and harboring a fugitive! She'll be thrown in Azkaban _with_ Snape!"

"No Gin, Harry can do whatever he wants to. If he feels he has to tell the Aurors what I've done, than that's his prerogative." Hermione said in an icy and thoroughly hurt tone before parroting his words from an earlier conversation some months ago. "You can't help the way you feel, Harry, but neither can I. I will not sit back and watch Severus be thrown in Azkaban. He doesn't merit such a heinous punishment!"

"And that's not your decision to make!" Harry yelled. "His crimes should be tried before the Wizengamot. It's the right thing to do."

"And here we are again, Harry, back at your idealistic black and white world!" Hermione shook her head. "How many people on the Wizengamot would hear his case and make a fair verdict?"

"If you are so worried about them finding him guilty, then you must realize deep down that what he's done is wrong!"

Lifting her hands in defeat, the witch stated with a tinge of sarcasm, "If that's how you see it, then it must be how I feel, Harry." She turned to walk away again, only to be held back by a hand gripping her shoulder.

"Don't go, Mi! Snape can't possibly be worth all this."

Hermione locked eyes with Ginny. "If Harry committed a crime in order to save thousands as opposed to a mere few, but that crime put him at the top of the Auror's most wanted list, would you stay by his side, trust him and fight for his freedom?"

It took several seconds, but Gin finally answered, "Yes..."

"Why?"

"Because I love him," Ginny said. "But this, this is different..."

"Is it?"

"Yes! Snape has always been a shady bastard and it wasn't that long ago that you thought the same. I've loved Harry for years?"

"So the love you share with Harry takes precedents over how I feel for Severus because of time?"

"And just how do you feel for dear old _Severus_?" Harry spat.

"Fuck you, Harry!" Hermione barked back.

"Hermione, stop!" Ron grasped her arm. "He's done something to her, guys... Imperio'd her or something. We have to help her!"

"For the last time, I've not been cursed, Ronald!" She yanked her arm away from him.

"Right, so you're just gonna leave us to go to him?" Ron said with disgust. "That seems fucking logical."

"I really don't want to pick sides, but you all are not even ready to listen objectively to any reasoning I have!"

"Because, your reasoning is _fucked_!" Harry roared. "Why would you even entertain the idea of leaving us to be with him? We love you, all of us! He'll never love you, all he sees is his obsession for my mum and all he cares about is himself!"

More tears fell from Hermione's burning eyes as she nodded. "Yeah, because threatening to go to the authorities just _screams_ 'I love you'!"

"I don't want to, Mi. It would be for your own good. Being anywhere near that bastard is no good for you. He doesn't love you, he'll never love you!"

"He must need you for something," Ginny spoke up, "Once he uses you for his own gain, he'll just toss you aside; that's what Slytherins do."

It was quiet for some time before Hermione sniffled and whispered, "Then I guess that's a risk I'll have to take."

"Why take it at all?" Ron asked, "Why can't you just stay here? If you don't want him arrested, then just stay here and let him fend for himself. Why do you have to be with him?"

Hermione balled her fists and roared, "CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND, I WANT TO BE WITH HIM… I LOVE HIM!" She stepped away from her friends, "What he shows to everyone is just a facade. Severus really is rather..." She sighed, "Never mind."

Harry scoffed, "This doesn't sound like the Hermione I know. The Hermione I know would never toss herself into a potential deathtrap just because of love!"

"Then I guess you don't fucking know me!" the witch barked back. "I love you, Harry! I love all of you fiercely! It was my love for you that had me breaking rules, stealing and lying to teachers when my academic career meant _everything_ to me...! My love for you had me spending summers away from my family! It was my love for you that had me following you all over the bloody countryside this past year! It was my love for you that made me believe in you and our impossible tasks. When you were quiet, distant or being an all out prick, it was my love for you that kept me from offing you myself!" Hermione panted with anger. The witch looked at all of her friends before she waved her hand and canceled the glamour charm on her robes.

Her midsection glittered before growing to its actual size.

Heaving a deep breath, Hermione spoke with as much sturdy conviction as she could. "As you can see, I'm pregnant! Severus is the father!"

Harry's jaw dropped.

Ginny's bright blue eyes were as big as saucers.

Everyone turned when they heard a thud and saw Ron in a heap on the ground.

Gin took out her wand and absently revived her brother while her eyes stayed on Hermione's prominent baby bump.

"Wha...what happened?" Ron rubbed the crown of his head as he stood and looked around; eyes bulging when they landed on Hermione's stomach. He pointed, "Y-you're pregnant!"

"I know," Hermione said patiently; waiting for the shock to wear off and the outrage to boil over.

"And it's Snape's?" Ron tried to steady his wobbly legs.

"Yes,"

"Hermione," Ginny struggled with her wording, "H-h-h…when?" As if not really thinking, she approached her friend and placed a hand on her swollen tummy.

With Ginny's reaction absent of any real negativity, Hermione smiled crookedly and whispered, "It's complicated."

The shock and awe that the ginger-headed witch was exhibiting was absent in the wizards. Harry seemed totally thrown and truly, extremely disappointed. Ron looked as though he was going to blow a gasket.

"Snape impregnated you with his spawn…and you thought _this_ was the ideal time to tell us?" He hissed, "AT MY BROTHER'S FUNERAL RECEPTION!"

"It's not like I wanted to tell you right now…like this, Ronald, but none of you gave me much choice. And don't you dare call my baby that again!"

"What, when did you plan on tellin' us, then…? When you needed to be emergency floo'd to St. Mungo's?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Hermione screamed.

Ron glared at the witch for a long moment before mumbling, "Did you even want to tell us?"

"Honestly," Hermione shifted her eyes between her friends and confessed, "I'm not sure I did." She watched as Ginny dropped her hands and stepped away with hurt written all over her face. "How could I have wanted to, knowing the likely outcome? How could I have approached the subject without all of you demanding to know who the father was? And knowing it's Severus, how long until you questioned my sanity and his motives; like you're doing _now_?" She shook her head as her eyes fell to the ground, "I didn't want to argue, I didn't want lines drawn in the sand…" Her eyes snapped up to her friends; full of tears, "I don't think I should have to choose!"

"Yeah," Ron's voice was full of venom, "well clearly you just didn't _think_!" He shook his head, "I…I-I can't even look at you right now."

Hermione's lower lip quivered as she watched her redheaded friend turn his back on her and walk away.

"He's right, Mi."

Her eyes moved to Harry.

"You clearly weren't thinking," his voice was hallow with disappointment as he stared at her with searching eyes. After a time, he moved to pull her into a hug. "You're my family and so much better than anything that Death Eating arsehole deserves," Harry whispered. "I might never understand your motives…and I will never think differently of Snape," he pulled away enough to look into her eyes, "but I will never hate you or your child." A tear slid down his cheek, "You know I'd help you with whatever you needed. You could live with me and Gin," Harry turned to nod at his girlfriend as she gave them a watery smile. He turned back to his friend, "I will love and treat your child like the niece or nephew it is. You don't need Snape and your baby will be worlds better never knowing him!"

Hermione wiped her tears and fought to steady her voice, "Oh, Harry…Ginny…I love you both so much," she took a few shaky breaths, "But I believe that every child should know their parents… And I know you may never understand why, but I believe that Severus deserves to get to know his family or... at least have the option to get to know his son."

Harry pulled away and shouted, "How the hell do you think this shit is going to play out? Snape's a heartless killer and wanted fugitive, he's not going to get very far! He _will_ get caught and so will you, then where will your little family be?" Stepping away, Harry shook his head once more, "I love you, Hermione, but I can't condone or accept this! If you go to him, don't you dare come crying to me when all of this blows up in your face!" he turned and walked away.

Covering her face with her hands, Hermione began crying again only to startle when a hand touched her shoulder. She looked to see Ginny crying next to her.

"Oh, Hermione…come here." Ginny whispered as she held her arms open for her friend.

Hermione about toppled them both over with the force she hugged her redheaded friend, "Why aren't you walking away from me too, Gin?"

"Because I know you, Hermione, and I know there is one thing you can't help but do all the time…and that's to think clearly." Ginny whispered as she hugged the pregnant witch. "You can't help but to be analytical about everything."

"But I wasn't…I wasn't thinking clearly the night this happened!" her hand moved to her stomach.

Ginny was quiet for a moment before speaking again, "But you've thought about that night since?"

"Yes…" Hermione sniffled, "some days, it was nearly all I could think about."

"And you don't regret it?"

The witch shook her head.

"Even now?"

"Even now."

Ginny moved to look her friend in the eye, "And you love him?"

Hermione nodded.

"Then there has to be a reason, Hermione. There has to be a damn good reason for you to go from hating him as much as the rest of us, to shagging him… falling for him…?" Gin's eyes searched her friend's, "Tell me…I'll listen…"

"I…I've never hated him, not real-" Hermione's words died out as a sharp pain had her doubling over.

"Hermione, Hermione, what's wrong…?"

Her stomach felt as if it was being stabbed and her thoughts went to the nightmare she woke up from this morning, "Oh….Gods no…!"

"Hermione, what? Talk to me!" Gin said frantically.

"My baby…something's wrong with my baby!"

"Merlin's fucking balls! We need to get you to St. Mungo's! Hold on, I'll go get-"

Hermione grabbed her friend's wrist, "NO…no hospitals…don't get anyone…!" pain tore through her again, "AAHH!"

"You need a healer, Mi!" Ginny knelt beside her.

Fearing for her son, the witch reluctantly nodded, "Okay…you take me…just you…!" Hermione winced at the pain.

"Okay, alright," Ginny snapped worriedly, "Just hold on, Mi!"

The next twinge of pain had Hermione gritting her teeth and holding on to her friend's wrist for dear life.

****0o0o0o0****

**More is on the way.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.**

**Thanks a heap to everyone!**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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"HELP, WE NEED HELP OVER HERE!" Ginny shouted after she apparated herself and Hermione to the lobby of St. Mungo's.

Being supported by her friend, Hermione held her stomach and concentrated on her breathing.

Ginny guided Hermione to the help desk in the lobby and screamed at the witch sitting there, "GET ME A HEALER NOW!"

And just like that, they were surrounded by three medi-witches.

"What's the matter, here? Which one of you needs assistants?" a plump brunette medi-witch asked.

"My friend, she's having severe stomach pain and she's pregnant!" Ginny's voice trembled.

That was enough said. The medi-witches sprung into action, waving their wands and speaking all sorts of medical incantations as they conjured a wheelchair for Hermione to sit down in.

"She's dehydrated," one medi-witch informed the other two.

"What's your name, love?" another medi-witch asked.

Ginny frantically fielded the question, "Hermione, her name is Hermione Granger!"

Meanwhile, Hermione was trying to keep calm as she searched for her bond with her son.

_Come on, little one, where are you… what's going on in there?_

She felt familiar warmth but it fluttered in and out.

_Please be okay, please be-_

Another painful twinge hit her and she struggled to breathe. A hand slipped into her left hand and squeezed gently.

"I'm right here, Mi." Ginny said as she walked alongside the wheelchair as it moved through the hallways, "Everything's going to be alright."

Hermione squeezed back, closed her eyes and sent a prayer to any deity who might be listening that everything would be.

It didn't take long before the young witch was lying on a bed in one of the exam rooms located in the maternity ward; Ginny's hand never leaving hers.

"The pain you're experiencing; is it sharp, achy or burning?" the plump brunette asked as her other two colleagues handed her parchment and left the room.

"Sharp," Hermione answered breathlessly.

"How far apart are-"

"Not far at all! Are you not paying attention, she's in pain!" Gin interrupted,

"Yes, I understand but if you don't settle down, miss, I'll have you removed from this room," the medi-witch said calmly.

Hermione shook her head, "No, please," she turned to her friend, "Ginny, just let her do her job." Taking a steady breath, the witch turned to the brunette medi-witch and answered her question. "I haven't really been keeping track. I think the pain comes about every three minutes."

"Where's the healer?" the redheaded witch huffed.

"She'll be along in a moment, but while we're waiting, I'm going to go ahead and get you a potion that will help with your dehydration. Just sit tight and I'll be back in a tick."

When the medi-witch left, Ginny shook her head, "Fucking hell, this is ridiculous!" she turned to her friend and squeezed her hand. "Are you okay, how's the pain?"

Hermione tried to smile, "It's not so bad at the moment." Gazing down at her stomach and then back at her friend, the witch spoke with a shaky voice, "Th-thank you for staying with me."

"Well I wasn't just going to leave you."

"Harry and Ron did…" the pregnant witch whispered, "They probably hate me."

"No, Mi, they are just angry because they don't understand, but they could never hate you."

"You're here and you have a better reason than them to be angry with me… to hate me."

"No, if anything, I hate Snape, not you, never you. And I'm here because you're my friend and you needed help and, unlike my brother and boyfriend, I'm willing to listen to you. It may not change the way I feel but at least I can make a more informed decision."

Hermione smiled as she wiped tears from her eyes but before she could say anything, the medi-witch bustled into the room with a large phial filled with shimmering crystal blue liquid. "Here you are dear, drink up. Anymore pain?"

"Not just yet," the witch sat up enough to take the phial.

"Well that's good news. Healer Vista should be in shortly. If you need anything, send your friend or your Patronus."

Both witches watched the medi-witch leave before Hermione popped the stopper off of the phial and began sipping the potion.

"What's it taste like?"

Wrinkling her nose, Hermione swallowed and answered, "Like…asparagus juice."

Ginny's face twisted in revulsion before showing signs of sympathy, "Best to chug it, then. Get it all down in one go."

Eyeing the phial like it had done her some great injustice, Hermione took a deep breath and worked fast to down the liquid. "Ugh, that was absolutely vile!"

Taking the empty glass tube from her friend, Ginny placed it on a small counter in the corner of the room before going back to sit beside Hermione; holding her hand.

"What time is it?"

"Twenty to six."

"I wonder if…he left." Hermione spoke absently as she stared at her tummy.

"I thought you were going back to him? Would he leave without you?"

"I don't know, we really hadn't discussed anything regarding…us."

"Mione-"

"He wanted to but I…didn't," the witch sighed, "I was afraid of what he might say. Yesterday was…" Hermione paused, "it was a dream come true but there were no promises spoken or whispered words of love."

It was silent for a long moment before Ginny asked, "Do you think he might not feel anything for you?" Her words were spoken carefully.

"I know he feels something, I just don't know if it's enough…"

There was another long silence before Ginny whispered, "Hermione…how did it happen?"

"I…I truly think I was just…spread thin and tired of…everything." She locked eyes with her friend. "I was afraid, running low on hope and felt so…alone. Then, out of nowhere, this Patronus lit the night." At Ginny's confused expression, she elaborated. "It was the night after Christmas…after Ron came back. I took the night watch and saw this Patronus appear out of nowhere. After a long internal debate, I decided to follow it. It led me to the sword of Gryffindor…and to him."

"Him, you mean Snape."

"Shh! Don't say his name in here, you don't know who might be listening!" Hermione admonished before nodding, "Yes, the sword was at the bottom of a pond. I had to jump in to get it."

"Did he plan it like that?" Ginny frowned.

"The _point_," Hermione passed over Ginny's question, "is that he pulled me from the water and made sure I didn't get hypothermia by providing shelter." Pulling her unruly hair away from her face, the witch continued. "I can't even begin to tell you what happened in that tent. He wasn't the moody professor from Hogwarts... Everything was just so... we just clicked. He confided in me with very little resistance. I think he was feeling weighed down with the burden of his responsibilities. I mean, how could he not have been?" She paused, "He…he showed me the real reason he killed Dumbledore that night using Legilim-"

"And you _believed_ him?" Ginny interrupted; confusion and dismay struggling to stay off her face.

"False memories are nearly impossible to make believable and what I saw was distressingly authentic so yes, I believed him. I was so happy that he was still on our side and wasn't the evil wizard everyone believed him to be." She smiled crookedly to herself, "I had always believed that there was more to him, something better than what he let everyone see. For that to be validated…I was elated and I acted on it. One thing led to another and…it felt right."

"Wow," Ginny murmured after a time.

"I know, it was only supposed to be that night."

"But then you got pregnant."

"Yeah, but even before I realized that, I had caught feelings for him." Hermione shrugged, "When I saw him lying on the floor of the Shrieking Shack…I couldn't just let him die."

"Or go to Azkaban."

The witch nodded, "None of this was supposed to happen, it just…did."

"Love usually does." Ginny sighed, "Why did he… has he shown any remorse for the things he's done?"

"He refused to let me help him escape this hospital," Hermione whispered. "He believed he deserved to go to Azkaban… He probably still does."

"But you being the stubborn witch that you are, helped him anyway."

"Of course,"

Ginny's eyes dropped to her friend's stomach, "How did he react to you being pregnant? Does he even know?"

"He does," Hermione's brows knitted together. "At first, he seemed angry but then…he genuinely seemed in awe."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Sn-_him_?"

"I know but…yeah."

"Bloody hell."

Just then, the door opened and a tall, statuesque brunette walked in with a bright smile and piercing hazel eyes.

"Good evening, I'm Healer Tara Vista, how are you feeling?"

Now that her attention was back on where she was and why she was there, Hermione frowned, "I'm feeling better, not one bit of pain since I got to this room."

"Well, that's good, very good." The healer said as she looked over the file in her hands. "Nineteen weeks along…and no record of a previous prenatal visit?"

"I was in hiding… I wasn't able-"

"Say no more, I understand," the witch smiled kindly, "we'll just look over everything now, shall we?" Healer Vista pulled her wand from her sleeve and began swirling it around.

Immediately, Hermione saw her status as well as her baby's being written in the air in various colors.

"You both are quite underweight," the healer said with a tone of concern.

"I know,"

"I'll prescribe you a potion to help you with weight gain," Healer Vista flicked her wrist and the heartbeat of Hermione's son filled the small room.

The witch smiled as Ginny jumped and then giggled at the sound, "Mi, that's your baby's heartbeat!"

"I know,"

The healer smirked, "It's very strong, Miss Granger."

"So…he's okay?"

"He is,"

"Then," Hermione frowned, "what was I feeling?"

"Yeah, how could she have been in so much pain and then be fine?" the redheaded witch asked.

"What I believe Miss Granger experienced was a rather strong bout of Braxton Hicks," The brunette healer explained, "Braxton Hicks are spasms in your uterus. They usually occur in your third trimester of pregnancy but it isn't uncommon to experience them in your second."

Hermione was relieved beyond belief to know that her son was okay but didn't like the prospect of feeling those painful twinges again. "So… I'll have more of these spasms?"

The healer nodded, "Yes, but this early in pregnancy, they are usually brought on by triggers. Dehydration is one and you were very dehydrated when you came in. That potion we administered to you should be helping you out a great deal."

Ginny squeezed her friend's hand as she asked, "What are some other triggers?"

"It might sound odd but being too active or too stagnant can cause Braxton Hicks, so can intercourse, excessive use of magic and apparition."

The redhead whistled, "Shitty deal, Mi, looks like you'll have to go without."

"In the gutter still, Ginny?" Hermione shook her head, "Honestly."

"Actually, sex isn't harmful to pregnancy as long as the witch is comfortable throughout the act." Healer Vista informed the witches. "If and when these spasms occur again, drink a glass or two of water, move around a bit or take a warm bath; it should help."

"I will, thank you." Hermione smiled.

"You are more than welcome. I do strongly suggest that you stop apparating and get plenty of rest, though." Healer Vista said as she scribbled something down on a piece of parchment and handed it to Hermione, "Prescriptions for that weight gain potion I mentioned as well as a prenatal potion. I would like to see you back here in a month or so for a follow up."

"Um," the witch took the parchment, "Okay."

"Splendid! Well, if you have no further questions, you are free to go."

"Actually, I do have a question. Is it safe to side-along?"

Healer Vista paused a moment before nodding, "However, I wouldn't side-along often and it's definitely not encouraged once you hit your third trimester."

Standing, Hermione smiled and shook the healer's hand, "Thanks again."

"Absolutely."

The pregnant witch and the redhead followed the healer out of the exam room before moving down the hall, out of the ward and to the lift.

"Ooo, Mi, you're having a little baby boy," Ginny hugged her friend once they were in the lift, "and he's going to be okay! I'm so happy for you!"

Hermione returned the hug, "You mean that?"

"With all my heart." Ginny pulled away, "His father may be an arse but his mother is the sweetest, most brilliant, and one of the most loving witches I've ever known. My nephew is bound to take after you, love."

The pregnant witch beamed at her friend.

"Now let's just hope he gets your nose."

"_Ginny_," Hermione smacked the redhead's shoulder before laughing, "You are so horrible!"

The lift doors opened once they made it to the lobby-level floor. The witches stepped out of the lift only to run into Healer White.

"Oh, so sorry," The elderly witch was concentrating on a stack of parchments in her hands before she looked up. "Miss Granger?"

"Hello, Healer White," Hermione said shyly as she cradled her belly; unsure of how the healer would react to seeing her again.

Healer White's eyes dropped to the young witch's stomach before looking up and smiling, "Congratulations dear."

Letting go of a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, the pregnant witch smiled, "Uh, thank you."

"And how is the father?" the elderly healer whispered with a knowing glint in her eyes.

"How did you…" Hermione asked confusedly only to shake her head and answer the healer's question, "He's well."

"Then that's good news all around, isn't it." Healer White moved to press the button to the lift.

Hermione looked at Ginny before turning back to the Head-Healer. "I-I'm sorry if my actions earlier this week put you in a…precarious situation."

"Dear girl, I don't know what you're talking about."

"You…you lied to the Aurors-"

"I lied to no one," Healer White smiled, "what I spoke was the truth. There was indeed an Auror stationed at…the patient's door every moment since he was admitted. I can't for the life of me figure out how he could have just slipped passed without alerting them."

The lift doors opened and the elderly witch winked, "Good luck to you, Miss Granger." With that, Healer White entered the lift.

Hermione watched the doors close before turning to Ginny, "She's…"

"Scary?" Ginny nodded,

"Reminds me a bit of-"

"Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall…mixed together?"

Hermione nodded.

"It must be a side effect of getting old; they're all creepy wise mind readers once they hit a hundred." Ginny said as she shrugged.

"_Ginny_, what am I going to do with you?"

"Love me, sis, just as I love you." Hooking her arm with Hermione's, Gin steered them towards the main entrance doors.

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Apparating to the alley behind the inn in Ipswich, Ginny supported a slightly nauseated Hermione as she looked around. "Why in the hell did you pick Ipswich?"

"I didn't," Hermione took a slow, steady breath, "Severus did. I was at a hotel in Manchester but he thought it would be safer to relocate; he was right." She turned to her friend, "Thank you for apparating me here-"

"After apparating to _five_ other places," Gin mumbled.

"I know, but Severus thought it would be best, you know, to lose anyone who might be following."

"Can you say paranoid?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "He has a right to be."

"I suppose."

"Anyway, thank you."

Ginny frowned, "What, you think I'm leaving you here? You're crazy; I'm making sure that you get to your room safe and sound."

"But Gin, if Severus is there-"

"Severus, Severus, _Severus_! Gods, Mione, I'll cope," the redhead said shortly. "Plus…I want to make sure he's treating you well."

"Gin-"

"Mi, you're carrying my nephew. You're stressed, exhausted and just out of St. Mungo's…not to mention you're in love with this greasy bastard. I want to make sure he actually cares for your wellbeing." Ginny grasped the pregnant witch's shoulders and said in a deadly serious tone, "If he gives you even the _smallest_ snide remark, though, I'll hex him into next year and take you back to the Burrow with me. Do not for a _moment_ think that I won't."

Touched by the redhead's words, Hermione nodded, "I believe you."

They walked out of the alley, turned the corner and headed for the main doors of the inn.

When they got into the lift, Ginny looked at the numbered buttons, "What floor?"

"Third,"

"Top floor…figures." Gin pressed the button and then leaned against the mirrored wall. "What is it with muggles and looking at themselves inside lifts?"

Hermione shrugged, "I don't think they install mirrors for vanity's sake, I think it creates the illusion of the lift being bigger than it is."

"A world without magic…" The ginger-headed witch frowned at her reflection before looking at Hermione's. "Mi, what are you going to do if Snape's gone?"

"I dunno. I suppose… move on." The witch's gut twisted, hoping that Severus hadn't left.

"What do you plan on doing…you know, if he is there? What's your next move?"

"I don't know, Gin. That is something Severus and I have to discuss." She stared at the numbers changing above the lift doors.

"What do you _want_ to do?"

The lift reached the third floor and the doors opened.

Hermione sighed and confessed, "I…I want to be with him, Gin, but I don't want him to feel obligated. I want him to choose to be with me because he wants to be."

Ginny nodded as she followed her friend down the hall.

Making it to her room at the end of the hall, Hermione opened the door.

"OUCH!"

The witch turned to see Ginny cradling her hand, "Wha-" she wasn't even able to finish the word before a hand gripped her upper arm to pull her into the room.

Severus wasn't much more than a blur as he flew passed the pregnant witch and shoved Ginny into the wall.

"Get in the room, Hermione!" the wizard's deep voice was firm as he situated himself between the witches; looking crisp, clean and very mean.

The redheaded witch had her wand out and was in a defensive stance. "Back the fuck off, Snape!"

"Wait, Severus, it's just Ginny…" Hermione struggled to get passed the wizard but he effortlessly blocked her.

"I can see that," he drawled. "Good_bye_, Miss Weasley." He looked as if he was about to speak an incantation but Hermione gripped his wrist.

The redheaded witch frowned and locked eyes briefly with Hermione, "Has he gone mental?" she glared back at the wizard, "I'm not going anywhere until I know Mione's safe."

"You do not have an option and I am quite capable of keeping her safe."

"You misunderstand," Ginny barked, "I meant safe from _you_!"

The pregnant witch tried to get their attention, "Severus, Ginny, could we not do this? Let's just get into the room, okay?"

"I can't, his wards stung the shit out of me," Ginny said as she continued to glare at Snape.

"Be thankful it was just a sting," he hissed.

"For fuck's sake, Severus, drop your wards so Ginny can come in."

Severus finally turned to Hermione, "Have you taken the necessary measures in making sure she can be trusted with our location?"

"No, this is Ginny, one of my best friends, she won't tell anyone."

"Forgive me, Hermione, but I refuse to have our safety rest on such flimsy terms." He turned back to the redhead and sneered, "You must give an oath or I will make sure you leave here not able to remember your own name."

"I'm not giving you shit, Snape! You think you can just demand an oath from me and expect me to give it, who the fuck do you think you are?" Ginny spat as she balled her fists and squared her shoulders.

In a heartbeat, Snape's right hand closed around the redhead's throat as he shoved her up against the wall on the other side of the hallway. "I _know_ that some people would go to any lengths and stoop to the lowest lows for a bit of fame, recognition…or retribution," Snape's eyes glittered as his voice held an unmistakably threatening tone. "I am aware of the bounty on my head as well as I know your _contempt_ for me!"

Hermione ran over to try and pull the wizard away from her friend, "NO SEVERUS, DON'T!"

"Well aren't we just the king of the fucking obvious!" Digging her nails into the wizard's arm, Ginny rasped, "If I had it my way, I wouldn't think twice about turning you in! I'd make sure Mi was safe from prosecution and you got sentenced to the dementor's kiss!"

"And how can you be sure the Ministry would honor your deal and afford Hermione the same assurances? To give me up is to give up Hermione as my accomplice!"

Ginny gritted her teeth and hissed, "And that's your sign, you wanker! That sentence alone should tell you how unworthy you are of her!"

Snape's right hand tightened around Ginny's neck so she could no longer talk and barely breathe.

"SEVERUS!"

"…just leave…Snape…" Ginny whispered hoarsely with what little air she was afforded.

Hermione yanked on the wizard's arm and tugged on his shirt, "STOP, SHE CAN'T BREATHE!"

But Severus was immovable and concentrating solely on the redhead. "I know I am not worthy of her time or attentions… I can't for the life of me figure out what she sees in me but until Hermione tells me to do so, I will not leave her or the child," he spat, "their safety is everything to me and I will not think twice in ending _anyone_ who threatens it. So give an oath guaranteeing your silence….Or. Die."

_He can't be serious…H-he wouldn't!_

Desperately tugging at his wrist as she watched Ginny start to turn purple, Hermione shouted, "SEVERUS…_PLEASE_!"

The pregnant witch's words seemed to filter through the wizard's mind as his ink black eyes locked with hers and he slowly released Ginny.

The redhead dropped to her knees as she started hacking and coughing.

Hermione knelt next to her friend. "Gin…Ginny…?" she rubbed her back, "Breathe Gin. That's right, in and out, that's it." the pregnant witch turned to see Severus hovering behind her with an awkward look on his face. "YOU'RE FUCKING MENTAL, DO YOU KNOW THAT?"

"Hermione, I do not know her motives, nor do you!"

"I KNOW THAT SHE'S MY FRIEND AND I TRUST HER! THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH FOR YOU!" Part of her wanted to hex the black-eyed bastard but the pragmatic side of her knew his defenses were on high alert for good reason. Hermione wanted to say that she knew Ginny wouldn't endanger her or her tentative family by speaking of any information she'd acquired but if she was being honest with herself, Harry had already threatened to do just that and she couldn't be sure he wouldn't act on it. Turning to Ginny -who was still trying to breathe properly- the witch whispered, "Gin…please give me an oath."

"Are you…fucking serious?" she rasped as she stared up at her pregnant friend. "I'm the one…who can't be trusted…after what _he_ just did…?"

"I trust you, Ginny, I do, but Severus has a point," she hesitated with her next words knowing that the wizard would hear them too, "I've…I've already been threatened twice today."

"WHAT?" Severus roared.

Hermione winced.

Ginny frowned, "Mi…you can't possibly…be taking what Harry said seriously…?"

"Potter! _Potter_ threatened you?"

"He was angry," Gin argued.

"What did that little fuckwit say?"

Hermione shook her head, "Gin, please just give me an oath…so we can get out of this hallway…please."

Ginny watched as Snape crouched down behind Hermione. She was flabbergasted at how concerned he looked as he carefully moved the pregnant witch's curly hair away from her face and off her shoulder; it was like he was a whole different person from a minute ago…or ever.

"What did Potter say, Hermione?" Severus' knuckles softly passed over the witch's cheek.

She leaned into his touch but kept her eyes on Ginny and said nothing.

"Okay," Ginny wheezed as she glared at the wizard, "You had better be thankful that my love for Hermione outweighs my complete disdain for you." She held up her wand, "I, Ginevra Weasley, solemnly swear on my wand never to speak a word of Hermione Granger or Severus Snape's location unless permitted by them."

A white glow came from her wand tip and swirled around the redhead.

Hermione moved to hug her friend as she whispered, "Thank you." As she pulled away, she turned to the wizard, "Can you drop your wards now?"

Severus stood and waved his hand before offering it to her.

Letting him help her up, Hermione was shocked when he moved to offer his hand to Ginny.

The redhead warily took Snape's hand but yanked hers back once she was on her feet and took a few steps away from him.

The wizard eyed both witches before turning and entering the hotel room.

"Shitting hell…!" Ginny whispered, "What the fuck?"

"I know…I'm so sorry Gin, I didn't know he would be so-"

"Psychotic?"

Hermione sighed, "I'm so…so, so sorry," she mumbled lamely before she opened the door. She saw Severus standing in front of the window, across the room and urged Ginny to step inside.

Once the door closed, Severus turned and walked slowly to the witches.

Ginny tensed, "That's far enough, Snape!"

He stopped, "Miss Weasley," he paused and clenched his jaw before continuing, "I…apologize for exerting so much force upon you. I was not…expecting Hermione to bring anyone back with her." Severus held out a small jar filled with bright orange paste; his posture was perfectly ridged. "Rub this on your neck, it will alleviate the pain and heal any bruising."

Hermione watched both of them before she took the jar for her friend and handed it to her. "You're more than welcome to use the restroom if you'd like, Gin."

Ginny took the jar and nodded before turning and taking Hermione up on her offer.

When the redhead shut the door to the loo, Hermione turned and stared daggers at the dark wizard, "Severus," she began in a low hiss, "that was so _monumentally_ uncall-"

He interrupted her with his obsidian orbs narrowing, "No, witch, it was a necessary assurance. One I do not feel the least bit repentant for now knowing that you've been threatened _twice_ already! What did Potter-"

"It's not what you think!" she put her hands on her hips.

His lip twitched as if he was trying hard not blow up on her, "And what, precisely, am I thinking?"

Hermione glared at him for a silent moment before saying, "Something insanely unreasonable, no doubt." Kicking off her flip-flops, the pregnant witch moved to sit on the edge of the bed; she was tired, hungry and her feet were killing her.

Severus followed her as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Hermione, if someone threatens your life, I am hardly unreasonable in taking every precaution to ensure your safe-"

"Plotting to do unspeakable horrors to Harry is more about sating your bloodlust than ensuring my safety!"

"Yet another thing I refuse to apologize for. What did that spoiled little ungrateful brat say to you, Hermione?"

"Harry is not a spoiled ungrateful brat!" Ginny shouted from the doorway of the bathroom. She was glaring at the wizard, "He was only trying to make Hermione see reason!"

He turned to the ginger-headed witch and punctuated his every word acidly, "By. Saying. What?"

"He threatened to go to the Auror office and tell them I helped you escape if I came back to you." Hermione confessed before closing her eyes and bracing herself for the inevitable.

Severus whipped his head around to look down at the pregnant witch, "He what?"

"He didn't mean it," Ginny argued, "He was just shocked and angry…we had just found out that _you_ were the wizard Mi was shacking up with!"

The wizard was still as a statue for a long moment before his deep drawl filled the room. "Gather you belongings, Hermione."

"What," the pregnant witch frowned, "why?"

"We're leaving," he waved his hands and all the surface areas in the room suddenly began cleaning themselves.

Hermione turned to catch Ginny's eyes and gave her a questioning look -one that was mirrored back to her- before turning to the wizard again, "Why, because of a few angry words from Harry?"

"Because those words, if acted on, makes you a wanted felon as well!"

Ginny took a few steps towards the couple, "He won't act!"

"You know that for sure, do you?" Severus barked at the redhead before turning to the pregnant witch, "Do you trust those words, Hermione? Do you believe that his love for you is like Miss Weasley's and will outweigh his hatred of me?" At her hesitation, he spoke in a calmer tone, "We can no longer stay here, we need to leave the country as soon as possible. Gather your things; we'll apparate to Londo-"

"No, Mi can't apparate; the healer said it could cause those cramps again!" Ginny interrupted the wizard.

Hermione turned to glare at her friend, "Thank you, Ginny." She didn't really want to get into the details of her St. Mungo's visit at the moment.

Severus eyed the redhead before turning to Hermione, "Healer…cramps…what is she talking about?"

"It's nothing," Hermione pulled her curls behind her ears as she resolutely stared down at the carpet; feigning interest in the design.

Kneeling in front of Hermione, Severus was uncaring of his audience as he tenderly urged the witch to look at him before framing her face, "When did you see a healer?"

Her cinnamon eyes locked with his ink black ones as she reluctantly confessed, "…before we came back here."

His brow furrowed, "Why?"

"She doubled over in pain after the argument," Ginny offered, "Scared me half to death!"

"Argument?"

Hermione sighed, "_Thank_ you, Ginny."

One of Snape's hands moved to her swollen tummy while the other stayed caressing the witch's cheek, "Are you alright, is the baby…?"

"It was nothing,"

"Nothing…? You could barely breathe," Gin argued.

"But it _was_ nothing!" Hermione stressed.

"Thankfully,"

"How could it have been nothing if you doubled over in pain, Hermione?" Severus' voice was low and tinged with unease. "You had better not be lying-"

"I'm not!"

"Then let me see."

It took a moment for Hermione to understand what the wizard wanted. Her brows knitted together as she nibbled on her lower lip.

"Show me, Hermione," Severus urged.

After many moments, the witch nodded.

"Show you what," Ginny asked, "what does he want you to show him?"

Keeping his eyes locked with hers, Snape moved his fingers to rest over Hermione's temple, "_Legilimens_!"

Hermione tried to focus on her time in St. Mungo's but she was a novice at trying to block out all other thoughts when it came to this intricate and mentally exhausting exercise.

_Black wisps swirled around and her bedroom at home came into view. She was lying on her belly reading before Crookshanks hopped onto the bed and plopped himself on top of her book; demanding her attention. The scene dissolved and all she heard was an echo of her familiar's purring and her laughter._

_Then she was watching herself walking down the street with her mum. She was holding shopping bags from muggle department stores and laughing at something her mother had said as she spooned up some of her gelato._

_There was an explosion of smoke and then she saw herself driving with her mum and dad; singing along to an obnoxious song on the radio._

_The scene changed again and she was in the woods, wrapped in her patchwork blanket. She was crying and singing as she stared up at the stars. _

_Black smoke swirled and she was crying with Ginny's head on her shoulder as Fred's casket was being lowered into the ground._

Hermione tried to gain some control and navigate to the moment she apparated to the hospital but it was next to impossible.

To her dismay, Severus saw moments she would have rather not have him know about; like her conversation with Auror Truth and every second of her argument with her friends.

The wizard viewed everything up until she was discharged from the hospital.

The white tiled hallway evaporated and suddenly she was staring into familiar fathomless black eyes again. Hermione thought for sure that Severus was mere seconds away from venting his anger, so she was struck dumb when he pulled her into a hug; his lips pressing a kiss onto her forehead.

"You should have told me of this sooner," his voice was soft.

"When exactly? You didn't give me much of a chance."

"If something happens to you or the boy, I have to know… I want to know."

"_Our_," Hermione corrected him again, "and now you know."

Ginny stared at the odd couple, in awe over how affectionate they were towards each other as Hermione pulled away and kissed Snape's nose and he secured more of her fly away curls behind her ear; both seemingly forgetting that she was even there. She had never _ever_ heard Snape speak so softly to anyone; his voice was absent of all annoyance, sarcasm and malice. If she wasn't witnessing it with her own eyes, the redhead wouldn't have believed it for a moment.

Hearing a deliberate cough, Hermione turned to see Ginny staring at her and Severus. Blushing slightly, she mumbled, "Sorry."

The ginger-headed witch raised an eyebrow.

Severus, who looked decidedly uncomfortable, stood. "The healer…she spoke of you experiencing these…Braxton Hicks again."

Hermione nodded, "Unfortunately."

"Apparition is one of the triggers." It was not a question, more like voicing a thought. The wizard began to pace.

"So is excessive use of magic," Ginny said as she moved to sit next to Hermione on the bed, "sitting too long, being too active, dehydration and… Oh yeah, sex."

Hermione rolled her eyes skyward and shook her head, "Fucking hell! Thank you, Ginny, now can you please just…stop talking?"

"Yes, thank you Miss Weasley, but I was paying attention when I was viewing the memory," Severus said shortly. "I am trying to resolve the new dilemma Hermione and I have in regards to travel now."

"Well, where do you plan on traveling to?" Ginny asked.

"I've been-"

"Hermione!"

The witch turned to the wizard, "What?" she frowned when his eyes cut to the redhead and then back to her. "Severus, she took an oath!" Turning back to her friend, she said, "I've been thinking of going to Australia."

"No, Hermione, they have an extradition treaty with the UK." Snape informed the witch absently as he kept pacing.

"Well where do you plan on going, then?" the witch huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

He stopped pacing and turned to look at Hermione as if she were mad. "_We_ are going somewhere we won't have to worry about extradition. Oman, Egypt, Belarus…Venezuela." Severus turned to peer out the window; totally missing Hermione's look of surprise. "Side-along?"

Seeing that Hermione was stunned speechless, Ginny answered for her, "Not likely, we apparated five different places between here and London; Mi was almost green when we finally made it to the alley."

"Then we'll have to fly." Severus said as he sat at the table in the chair; closest to the pregnant witch.

Ginny snorted, "Not bloody likely, Hermione doesn't fly; she's petrified of heights."

"No, I'll fly," Hermione finally got her voice back. She turned to the wizard, "If we have to, I'll fly."

Snape sighed and shook his head, "No, prolonged stress is an unneeded complication and no good for you."

"Can't we make a portkey?" Hermione asked.

"We could, but all unregistered portkeys are automatically flagged by the Ministry if their destination is outside of the country, not to mention they take days to make; time we don't have." Severus emphasized before adding, "The same holds true for international floo travel."

"Well…why don't you travel the muggle way," the redhead asked after a substantial silence. "The Ministry can't monitor that and Hermione knows all about muggle transportation."

The room was thrown into silence again as everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts.

Hermione stifled a yawn but couldn't stifle the growl her stomach made.

Severus frowned, "When was the last time you've eaten anything, witch?"

Giving the wizard a sheepish smile, the witch mumbled, "I am a bit hungry." Suddenly a craving hit her, "I really could go for mushy peas, pickles and coffee cake." Her tongue darted out to lick her lips, "Ooo, and a crunchie bar!"

Ginny broadcasted her disgust plainly, "Mi, that sounds absolutely _revolting_!"

The wizard rolled his eyes, "Well, I still have a bit of polyjuice left. I suppose-"

"No," Hermione cut in, "If you think you're going to fl-"

"Finish that sentence, and I'll bring you back a nice big and very _normal_ salad," Severus drawled as he stood.

"You're not getting me anything because you're not going anywhere!"

The wizard argued, "Hermione, you need to eat or you'll trigger those spasms again."

"Well, you're not going, I will." The witch said stubbornly.

Severus scoffed, "The day a niffler passes up a galleon, maybe."

"I'll go," the redhead interrupted the squabbling couple.

They both turned towards her.

"Don't look so bloody surprised," she stood and crossed her arms, "I am the only logical option, so what is it you want again?"

******0o0o0o0******

Hermione laid back on the bed; staring up at the ceiling.

Ginny had left ten minutes ago; on the hunt to get everything on the pregnant witch's menu.

"I hope she remembers the crunchie bar." Severus moved into her peripheral vision as he stood next to the bed. She turned and smiled, "So, you really want me to come with you?"

The wizard frowned.

"I mean, you don't feel obligated or anything, do you?"

"Of course I do,"

Her smile slid off of her face, "But…last night you said-"

"How could I not feel some measure of obligation towards you, Hermione? I'm the reason you're in this situation."

"Then I shouldn't go with you," the witch said sadly, "You'll only end up resenting me."

Shaking his head, the wizard asked, "How could I resent someone who would toss her good name so…uncaringly in the mud to help me? How could I resent you, Hermione, for opening my eyes to a life beyond all the misery I've been living? Yes, I feel an obligation to protect and take care of you, but that will never detract from me wanting you near; it does not dilute my feelings for you or the child."

Her brow knitted, "And how do you feel exactly? You can't even say that 'the child' is yours…ours."

"I've come to care a great deal for you and th-our child…our son."

Silence settled over them and Hermione watched as Severus' eyes became distant in thought.

"This all feels so much like something I could never even hope to dream."

Hermione brow knitted in curiosity.

The wizard sighed, "I know you probably think I'm mad, what with circumstances being what they are, but…" his words trailed off into silence.

"But what, Severus?" the witch urged; intrigued.

He hesitated slightly before confessing, "I've always wanted a family."

Hermione looked at the wizard as if she were waiting for the punch line.

Severus raised an eyebrow, "You do not believe me?"

"Oh, you're serious?"

"Does it really sound so farfetched given what you know of my past?"

The witch looked skeptically up at the wizard.

"All my life, I've never belonged or fit in anywhere. I've tolerated very few and have been tolerated by even less; people only worried about what I could do for them. Why wouldn't I want a family of my own; a place to belong?"

"I suppose, when you put it that way, it doesn't seem farfetched at all." Hermione studied the wizard before asking, "So…you've always wanted children?"

Without delay, Severus' features became blank as he stared ahead and did not answer the witch's question.

Hermione laughed, "Oh my gods, you have, haven't you?"

His eyes locked with hers and he looked somewhat taken aback.

She continued to chuckle as she shook her head, "I can't believe you've been a spy for so long and fooled everyone..." Hermione really was amazed, "I can so tell when you're lying or when you don't want to speak of something."

He scowled.

She gazed up at him, "Your face becomes so…stone-like; totally void of any emotion. How could no one have spotted it?"

He took on a tone of indifference, "Probably because no one has ever bothered to get to know me."

Hermione reached out to the wizard much like she did that morning. This time, Severus did not hesitate as he moved to lie next to the witch; encircling her in his arms. She snuggled into his side, "Well, I want to get to know you, Severus…if you'll let me."

"I think I should be the one questioning the welcome of my presence." His hand moved down to her stomach, "I woke up this morning with every intention of letting you make your own decision about staying here or leaving with me. However, as the day progressed, I've found it increasingly difficult to feign indifference to what you might choose."

"I've only been putting off the discussion because I feared you wouldn't want the headache."

Severus smirked, "Well, you should know by now that I am a masochist."

Hermione playfully slapped his chest before smirking, "I am too."

They both chuckled.

"Never question the welcome of your presence, Severus…ever."

The wizard nodded, "You do the same, Hermione," he whispered before kissing her forehead. They were silent as they held each other until Severus sighed and said, "We have to leave…soon."

Hermione groaned; not wanting to face reality, "I know…but where are we going to go?"

He stiffened a little before saying, "We will discuss our options latter. I believe Miss Weasley is back." He kissed her once more before getting up and moving to sit at the table again. "For now, focus on your meal and your friend." He wavered a bit before adding, "This will most likely be the last time you will see her for a long time."

The witch knew those words were probably true, but hearing them out loud made everything feel so much more real and devastating.

Less than a minute later, there was a knock at the door.

Snape waved his hand and the door opened.

Ginny came in, wiping her eyes as she gave Hermione a paper bag. "Here you are; mushy peas, pickles, coffee cake and a crunchie bar."

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked concernedly as she took the bag of goodies.

"Nothing, just had an argument with Harry. I popped home quickly just to let him know I was with you. Needless to say, he didn't want me coming back here."

"I'm sorry, Gin."

"Don't be," the ginger-headed witch plopped down on the bed next to Hermione, "Anyway, eat up."

Hermione sat Indian style in the middle of the bed and ate her food eagerly. Her eyes widened as she thought of something, "By the way…" Hermione summoned her beaded bag before riffling through it, "I need to give this back to Harry, but since he doesn't want anything to do with me at the moment," she pulled out Harry's invisibility cloak and handed it to Ginny, "Could you give this back to him?"

"Hermione, this could really help you…"

"Yeah, it would, but it's not mine to keep." The pregnant witch shrugged.

"Harry probably won't mind."

Hermione stared doubtfully at her friend.

"Right," Ginny nodded. After a time, she asked, "Have you decided on where you're going?"

Hermione sadly answered, "No, but we'll be leaving soon."

"How soon?"

Severus fielded the question in a bored drawl, "We will not be in United Kingdom twenty four hours from now."

Both witches turned to him; expressions of shock on their faces.

"So…this is it, then?" The redhead asked, "When will I see you again?"

Nibbling her lower lip, Hermione shrugged as tears filled her eyes.

"Mi…" Ginny was on the verge of crying as well.

The somber silence between the two witches was deafening as Hermione finished the rest of her meal.

"Maybe…maybe you don't have to go," Ginny said and then visibly perked up. "Mione, maybe you don't have to leave. Harry was just talking shit because he was shocked and angry, just give him a few days and he'll come around." The redhead stood, "Meanwhile, we can set you both up somewhere unpalatable. Then I'll work on getting Harry to talk to Shacklebolt and see if we can't get Snape pardoned!" by the time she stopped talking, the ginger-haired witch was practically bouncing up and down.

"You-you'd do that…for Severus?" Hermione asked; totally thrown.

"No," Ginny didn't even hesitate as her excitement fell off her face. "I'd do it for you, Hermione." She turned to the dark wizard and spoke candidly, "I hate you, Snape, I really do. You're a petty, nasty, unlikable, sarcastic arsehole. You let students become nothing more than torture training dolls." She shook her head, "I don't care if you did it for the greater good or not, how could you sleep at night knowing what the Carrows were doing to us? Could you hear the echoes of innocent first years screaming in agony because I did…I still do. I have nightmares of you and how you _tortured_ me as members of your house heckled me relentlessly!" The redhead shrugged, "It's all just history now, though, isn't it?"

Severus' eyes locked with Ginny's for a moment before the redhead turned back to her friend.

"I'm not doing anything for Snape; I'm doing this for you…for me. As selfish as it is, I don't want my sister to leave me behind again; and you are my sister, Hermione, even if we don't share blood." A tear trickled down her freckled cheek. "So if pardoning Snape will keep you around, I'll fight to make it happen because I don't want this to be goodbye."

With tears blurring her vision, Hermione stood and gave Ginny a big hug, "I don't want this to be goodbye either." Sniffling, Hermione turned back to Severus; truly wondering if he thought this could be a viable option.

Severus looked into Hermione's cinnamon eyes filled with hope and did not take pleasure in answering her silent question. "Hermione…as I've said before, I refuse to have our safety rest on such flimsy terms. Miss Weasley's makeshift plan involves entirely too much good faith on the actions and reactions of others." His eyes shifted to the angry redhead, "Too many people who feel just as you but who will not suppress their hatred of me for Hermione's sake."

Deep down, Hermione knew Severus spoke the truth but it didn't stop the disappointment from filling her.

"I can't believe you," Ginny shouted as her eyes narrowed at the wizard, "You won't even entertain another way! You are taking Hermione away without any regard for the people who love her!"

Standing, Severus' narrowed his eyes, "And you are spouting semi-formed plans with no regard for Hermione or my son's welfare!" His jaw clenched, "Have you any Idea what you are suggesting could take weeks or decades? Your plan would essentially make Hermione and my son prisoners to wherever we would be secluded! I'm more than happy to shut the rest of the world out forever but staying here, in the UK will put Hermione under great scrutiny and put an unfair stigma on our child!" His obsidian orbs shifted back to Hermione, "That is unacceptable to me."

Hermione reluctantly nodded and turned back to her friend, "Gin, we have to leave," she hastened her words as she saw her friend begin to protest, "For now, anyway. It would mean a lot to me if you would work to help pardon Severus," she smiled weakly, "that way, we may be able to move back someday."

"Mione…"

The witch sniffled and forced herself to smile, "And once we get settled, I promise to tell you where and maybe you could come visit." She turned to the wizard and noticed that he wasn't happy with her words but kept quiet.

"You promise?" Ginny asked in a broken voice.

Hermione moved to hug the redhead again, "I swear…I promise to keep in touch as well."

Ginny laughed through her tears, "You'd better!" she kissed Hermione's cheek before pulling away. "I'll get that pardon so you can come back home." She smiled, "And while I can't speak for the rest of wizarding Britain," she wiped Hermione's tears away with her thumb, "Regardless of his prick of a father, your son will always be welcome in the family; I'll make damn sure of it."

The redhead's words brought on a fresh wave of tears from Hermione.

Severus watched the Weasley girl and his pregnant witch interact and realized –not for the first time- that Hermione was losing so much by staying by his side. He could not blame Miss Weasley hating him for many reasons but the way she pushed her contempt for him away to welcome his unborn son into her family struck a chord with the wizard as he found a whole new level of respect for her. "Miss Weasley," he paused a moment before continuing, "I know it probably means very little to you, but I…apologize for…tormenting you. It was a despicable show of power and completely unforgivable."

Ginny stared stonily at the wizard, "You're right, your words mean almost nothing to me." She sniffled before speaking again; her tone icy, "Actions speak much louder than words, Snape. I doubt if I will ever be able to forgive you, but Hermione sees something in you so…" Her voice became hard, "Show me you care for my friend by keeping her and my nephew happy and safe, don't just say you will." Ginny hugged Hermione once more before backing away, "And Snape, if I get the slightest hint that you aren't taking care of them, all the world will not be big enough for you to hide from me."

Severus glared at the redhead for a moment before giving her a curt nod.

Hermione smiled sadly at her friend, "This isn't goodbye Ginny, so I'm not going to say it."

"Damn straight," Gin smiled back. "Make sure to get plenty of rest, eat regularly and keep that arsehole in line."

"I will."

The redhead nodded, "I'll see you later, then."

Hermione's voice cracked as she answered, "Yeah," she watched her friend walk out the door before she broke down with heart wrenching sobs, "Severus…"

His arms came around her in an instant; lifting her from the ground and supporting her as she leaked her grief. With an easy grace, he moved to the bed and maneuvered them so he was sitting with his back at the headboard and the witch cradled in his lap.

"It's…it's just so much…" Hermione mumbled into the crook of the wizard's neck. "First my parents…and now my friends…" the witch forced a steady breath, "I want to be with you, I really do but I just feel so…cut off."

Severus held her tighter, "What happened with your parents?"

It took several minutes before Hermione answered the wizard. "I-I… Before I went on the run, I altered my mum and dad's memories," she sniffled, "I made it so they wouldn't remember having a child…having me." The witch shook her head, "I know it was dangerous and I lacked the proper credentials to perform such a spell but it would have been so much more dangerous for them if I didn't do what I did!"

Moving her chaotic curls away from his nose and tucking it behind her ear, Severus spoke honestly. "What you did was dangerous…but I will not deny that I am impressed. The Obliviate spell is highly complex; I hadn't had it mastered until my early twenties." He brought his hand up to cup the witch's face as his thumb brushed away her tears. "Where are your parents now?"

"Somewhere in Australia… I knew being a muggleborn and so close to Harry would be fatal to my parents."

"And you were very astute in making such connections; The Dark L-Voldemort ordered Lucius and Bellatrix to hunt your parents down. If they had stayed in England, they wouldn't have stood a chance." His sharp mind made a connection of its own. "You want to go to Australia to find your parents, don't you?"

She nodded as her head rested on his shoulder, "I did, but," she yawned, "you said we couldn't." Hermione's eyes drooped and she was finally feeling the day catch up with her.

Severus rested his cheek against the crown of Hermione's head and whispered, "Then that is where we will go."

"But what about extradition?" Hermione mumbled sleepily.

"To be extradited you first have to be caught," the wizard spoke ominously.

"But…how will we get there?"

"Shh, rest Hermione; let me worry about our travel."

But the pregnant witch was already asleep. She did not feel the wizard kiss her head or tighten his hold, nor did she hear him whisper three words softly.

"I…love you."

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**More is on the way.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.**

**Holy hell, it' been a while, hasn't it? I'm sorry for that!**

_**Monkeywand**_** rocks my face off with her awesomeness!**

**Eternal thanks to everyone reading and reviewing!**

**This chapter is written from Snape's point of view. I hope you enjoy.**

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_Bloody hell…!_

Waking with a massive kink in his neck, Severus attempted to alleviate the pain by rolling his head only to be met with a frizzy mass of hazelnut scented hair. Smiling crookedly, he kissed the unruly mane that he had come to admire as well as the witch such chaos was attached to.

Opening his eyes, the wizard gazed down at Hermione who was still swaddled in his arms on his lap. Severus nearly gagged at the Hufflepuffishness of his thoughts but looking down at his sleeping witch he thought she looked so small, fragile and innocent. He knew that all three of those adjectives did not apply to Hermione Granger; now more than ever because he had found out in a relatively short time that she was one of the strongest most determined witches he had ever met. Her physical size held no contest to the gargantuan magnitude of her personality and her feisty attitude laughed the word 'innocent' right out of the room.

Hermione Granger was a true force to be reckoned with and through copious amounts of dumb luck; Severus had the unmitigated privilege to be welcomed around the witch. Not only that, he was granted intimate access to the fiery nymph who was carrying his progeny.

Severus had tried to figure out what exactly he had ever done in his miserable existence to become such a lucky sod but he still was ignorant of the answer.

Brushing her hair away from her face, Severus' dextrose hand moved down to cover Hermione's swollen stomach as he remembered the nearly suffocating mixture of anxiety and concern that filled him the moment he'd heard about the witch's complications last night. Even now, he couldn't fathom what he would have done if Hermione hadn't come back to him last night, the lengths he would have gone to find her or how he could carry on if the problems Hermione faced with the pregnancy were more severe.

Mentally shaking the last thought from his mind, Severus concentrated on feeling any movement from his son. There was nothing for long moments but then there was a light pressure against his index finger followed by a more prominent movement under his thumb.

"There you are…little one? Is that what your mother calls you?" Severus whispered lightly. He couldn't help but smile when a flurry of movement erupted under his hand. Looking up to Hermione's serene appearance of slumber, the wizard wondered how such alien movement did not wake her. He couldn't imagine it being very comfortable. Turning back to his hand that covered his son, he whispered, "I would appreciate it very much if you didn't give your mother any more trouble until you are at the adequate gestational period to be birthed, little one."

There was another series of little kicks and the wizard frowned. "Are…are you able to hear me, little one?"

"I think he can."

Severus quickly looked at Hermione who gave him a sleepy smile as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"He seems really happy when you speak to him," one of her small hands covered his, "just now, he sent warmth radiating through me when you spoke to him…it was a really strong wave too." Stifling a yawn, the witch's cinnamon eyes smiled up at him, "Don't you ever sleep?"

"Why do you ask?" he purposely answered her question with a question to irk the witch as his thumb absently stroked her stomach.

"Because whenever I'm awake, you are too."

"So your logic is; if you never see me sleeping, then I never sleep?" The wizard raised an eyebrow and drawled, "Are you sure you want to go with that? You do sleep a lot so there is high probability of holes being poked through that theory of yours."

"I do not sleep a lot! You are just an insomniac and haven't a clue what a normal night's sleep is." She lightly elbowed him as she moved out of his arms to stand. She waved her hand and numbers glittered into being as she shuffled to the bathroom. "It's not even nine in the bloody morning, Severus!"

"Oh, you can tell time! I'm so proud."

"Fuck off!" Hermione said; half in jest, half in agitation.

"Touchy," the wizard smirked as the door slammed shut. "I think someone needs another twelve hour nap," He stood and stretched as he deciphered what Hermione was saying through the door.

"You are infuriating, do you know that? I don't need any more sleep, I just need you to shut your gob and I'll be sorted!" The witch opened the door to the loo, "Must I mention that I'm pregnant and severely hormo-"

"Would you relax witch." Severus chuckled minutely at the bedraggled beauty.

With her frown changing from one of aggravation to that of puzzlement, Hermione asked, "Are...are you...joking?"

The wizard grinned smugly at her even as he drawled, "I do not do such rudimentary things as...joke."

A bright smile burst forth on Hermione's lightly freckled face, "You are! You are joking! Severus Snape, intimidating meanie of a wizard, is _playfully _teasing me!"

"Meanie?"

"I'd never thought I'd see the day you would be kidding."

He snorted, "Who says 'meanie' anymore?"

"I do," she giggled. "You surprise me Professor Snape."

"Everything we've been through recently and my sense of humor is what surprises you?"

"More like the discovery of you actually having a sense of humor." Her expression was so warm and accepting as she gazed up at him. "No, recently, everything you've done has surprised me."

Snape felt himself being wrapped tighter and tighter around the witch's little finger. He was finding it more difficult to find reasons to care about his sure migration into codependence though.

She didn't have to know such facts.

"Once again," he stated imperiously as he smoothed the wrinkles on his slacks and dress shirt, "I never tease, joke or kid. I am simply putting into question your logic." Straightening his posture, he tsked, "A know-it-all of your stature should know the difference."

Hermione giggled before forcing a serious continence as she crossed her arms. "My logic is sound as always, professor."

He shook his head in feigned disappointment. "That'll be your over-inflated ego talking. I really ought to have something done about that."

"Something done?" she asked as she walked up to him and narrowed her eyes, "You me handle me, don't you? Are you sure such a thing is feasible, what's your plan?"

"I have quite a few ideas." his arms slid around her.

"Are you going to punish me?" She purred as she placed her hands on his shoulders and rose to her tippy-toes.

"Likely." Severus waited with bated breath for Hermione's lips to touch his own. It was sickening and wholly aggravating how she managed to bring out such a pathetic side of him but then again that was another fact he was losing the ability to care about.

The wizard instinctively closed his eyes when the witch closed the distance between them, so it was unexpected when the little minx nipped his ear and whispered, "You really think anything you're thinking at the moment would be considered punishment or that it would do anything to deflate my ego?" She giggled as she pulled away from Severus. "Face it, my brooding little insomniac, I'm right, you're wrong... It's not my fault you just can't handle a little competition."

Snape watched as she effortlessly put an innocent expression onto her features and punctuated her look with a tiny little shrug. "Why you little...now who's teasing?" He snatched her arm and pulled her back to him, "Impudent witch."

"Contemptible wizard," she snaked her arms around his narrow waist.

Welcoming her closeness, Severus encircled her in his arms, "Are you sure you do not need more rest?"

Shaking her head against his chest, Hermione said, "I'm up, might as well get going." She moved to look up at him, "Are we really going to Australia for my parents?"

The wizard nodded, "If that's what you want, then that's what we'll do."

As ridiculous as it was, Severus felt that Hermione's smiles were becoming something of a balm for his tense, angry, paranoid existence. She seemed to be able to calm the rage roiling deep within him with an upward curve of her pouty lips; short time frame be damned.

"How will we get there?"

Moving to frame Hermione's face, Severus confessed, "I…I want this to be as stress free on you as possible but that means it has to be done quickly and that avenue carries the most risk of being caught." He bent down to kiss her lips.

"Then let's not go that route. Honestly, Severus, you can't be caught…you just can't be. So if we have to sail on a muggle ship, fly by plane or broom or your little black cloudy thing… I'll do whatever we have to."

"And you and our son have to stay safe and free from any more complications, Hermione!" Severus said hastily, "Prolonged travel will most assuredly be very hard on the both of you. Muggle travel takes entirely too long and I can almost guarantee that if you have any aversion to flight, you will have the same issues with traveling via ship."

The witch huffed and moved away, "Then what are our options?"

Severus hesitated before saying, "Hermione, I'm the one on the Auror's most wanted list, not you…not yet." He paused, "Maybe it would be best if we travel separately."

"NO!" she looked equal parts angry and hurt. "You said you wouldn't leave! You said _we_ would travel, Severus, together-"

The wizard was quick to speak over the witch's protests as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Understand me now, witch, I am not leaving you, only introducing another option." Severus saw the unshed tears filling the witch's eyes and hoped she tempered her emotions; he disliked seeing her cry. "The Ministry has no concrete evidence on you and, unless one of your loudmouthed friends speaks out of turn, that is how it will stay for the short-term. Perhaps we can use that to our advantage, you take an international portkey to Sydney and I will apparate in quick succession to the same destination."

Hermione took several deep breaths before she found her voice again. "W-won't that take you ages?"

"It will take longer than your journey but I will give you enough money for food and a place to stay. All you will need to do is find an unsuspecting and very muggle hotel to shut yourself within until I arrive."

"How long will it take you, how will you find me?"

They were good questions, ones Severus didn't have answers to. He was about to tell the witch as much and work with her keen mind to solve the problem when he felt his wards being breeched. It was the outer ward that gave him about seven seconds to prepare for whatever was approaching. His black eyes turned to the door. "Hermione, barricade yourself within the bathroom! Open it for no one but me!"

"Severus…?"

His eyes cut to the witch and he spat, "Do it, now!" Just as he spoke there was yelp outside of the door as well as a string of expletives. Severus was almost as fast as lightning as he ran to the door and opened it before wandlessly confronting the people he had already labeled as threats to himself and his family.

Before he registered who was in the hallway, he silently sent a spell to push and pin the three bodies to the wall opposite the door.

"BLOODY FUCK!"

"SHIT!"

"SNAPE, YOU BASTARD, LET US GO!"

In front of him, stuck to the wall like lacewing flies to sticky paper, were Ronald Weasley, Ginevra Weasley and Harry Potter.

Severus ignored the boys completely as he turned to the Weasley girl and let her loose from the wall. "This is a blatant disregard of your oath!"

Ginny stood from the ground, "No it's not! My oath stated that I would never speak of you and Hermione's location, I never said anything about showing anyone."

"That," the wizard paused for a moment, "Is completely Slytherin."

She rolled her eyes, "Or simple common sense."

Severus raised an eyebrow, "Is there a difference," he asked snidely. "Now what are you doing here, Miss Weasley, and why in Merlin's name did you bring _them_? Who else do you plan on bringing here?"

"No one! Calm down, Snape, I brought Harry and Ron because they wanted to come; I shouldn't have to tell you why." The redhead looked positively pissed as she straightened her clothes and picked up what looked to be _The Prophet_ from the ground. "And _this_ is why we are here!"

The Weasley girl shoved the front page of _The Prophet_ in his face and what he read made his blood boil and run ice cold all at once.

**DECIEVED BY A HEROINE: THE DESPERATE ACTIONS OF HERMIONE GRANGER.**

**BY: RITA SKEETER**

"Severus, what in the hell-" Hermione peaked around the wizard to see her redheaded friend. "GINNY!" she jumped up and down before hugging the witch.

"Do you ever listen, witch," Severus asked Hermione as he tore _The Prophet _out of Weasley's hand before she and Hermione got lost in their greetings; acting as if they haven't seen each other in a millennia.

He read on distractedly.

**Hermione Granger, one third of the infamous Golden Trio, **

**seems to have turned to the dark side. Or, is it simply **

**that she was never quite as golden as she portrayed. As **

**many readers may remember, Miss Granger was quite the**

**practiced heartbreaker some years ago. She was found **

**many times shamelessly canoodling with 'best friend', **

**Harry Potter, and Tri-Wizard competitor, Victor Krum. It **

**seems that Hermione is a one wizard witch these days **

**seeing that the witch currently has a bun in the oven. My **

**sources reviled that the father of the baby is none other **

**than Severus Snape; the Auror's most wanted undesirable. **

**Hindsight being what it is, was Miss Granger's blatant **

**cries for attention more than three years ago directed at **

**one particular wizard? Just how long have the morally **

**corrupted couple been together anyway? **

**The Minister has been playing it close to the vest but my **

**sources let loose the fact that Hermione Granger helped**

**Snape break out of St. Mungo's and that a warrant has **

**been drafted and signed for her arrest. All I can say is; oh **

**how the self-proclaimed mighty have fallen. I hope **

**Hermione Granger knows that there is no maternity ward **

**in Azkaban. **

Severus looked up from the parchment in his hands to see the witches finished with their reunion and currently working out how to get the disgruntled wizards unstuck from the wall. "How much of this drivel is true, Miss Weasley?" With a snap of his fingers, Potter and the Weasley boy dropped unceremoniously to the floor.

Hermione turned, "What drivel?"

He handed _The Prophet_ over for her to read.

Ginny helped her boyfriend off of the floor and then kept a firm grip on his arm to hold him back. "As much as I hate to say it, pretty much everything that pretentious cow has written is true."

"GGRRAAHHH!"

Severus turned to see his witch crumpling up the sorry excuse for a news provider up and setting it aflame before he turned to Miss Weasley. "Thank you for informing us of this recent development," he nodded towards the wizards, "Now take them and leave before something unfortunate happens to the both of them."

"Fuck you, Snape," Harry hissed. "I'm here to see my friend, not you!"

The dark wizard's tenuous grasp on his building temper snapped as he reached out and took hold of the collar of Potter's shirt and roughly yanked the boy towards him. "Watch your tongue boy or I'll rip it from your conceited little mouth!" The hate and anger he had for the nitwit in his grasp had Severus trying hard to remember why it was not okay to use unforgivables. "I should tear you limb from limb, Potter! How dare you come here and have the audacity to use the term 'friend' when you clearly have no understanding of the concept!"

"Let him go, Snape!" Ron growled at the dark wizard.

Ginny had her wand pointed at Snape. "Let him go, you tosser! Hermione, tell him to let Harry go!"

The pregnant witch looked up from the pile of ash on the ground; her eyes wild with anger. "No, I think I'll let Severus do what he wants with Harry."

Severus turned to her with an expression of shock; which he assumed was present on everyone else's face.

The redheaded witch shook her head, "You can't possibly mean that!"

"And what if I do?" Hermione spat as she turned to glare at her messy-haired friend. "This is _your_ fault!" She pointed to the ash on the floor, "How could you have told anyone _MY_ business?"

Severus turned to the boy and grasped his shirt collar tighter, "Answer her, Potter!" the wizard shook him to punctuate every word.

Harry looked bewildered as he stared dumbly from Snape, to Hermione and then back again. "Y-y…y-you think I did that?" it was his turn to point to the pile of ash on the carpet. He turned to Hermione, "You think I really went to the Aurors?"

Hermione crossed her arms, "Was that not the threat?"

Harry struggled to free himself from the dark wizard's grasp. "I WAS ANGRY, HERMIONE!" he stopped moving and focused solely on his spurned friend. "I had just found out that you were sleeping with Snape!"

Severus noticed both boys cringe at the mention.

"Voldemort's pet and Dumbledore's killer!"

"Gha! We've already been through this, Harry!" Hermione almost whined.

"I know, but that doesn't change how I feel about him!" Harry barked. "Not only that, you also told us you were-are pregnant with his kid! How exactly did you think I'd react?"

Ron stepped up, "Yeah, Mione, yesterday was a shock and we all were emotional wrecks."

Hermione shouted back, "And that's supposed to justify your ugly words towards me?" She glared at the redheaded wizard, "Saying my baby was nothing more than spawn," her angry eyes cut back to Harry, "Threatening to go to the Auror's office." Hermione's voice cracked, "Walking away from me like I was a lost cause and the last seven years meant nothing!"

A new wave of anger hit Severus as he remembered the argument and what happened after. He lifted Potter off the ground by his shirt collar, "Do you know what happened after you left her by that pond…what could have happened had Miss Weasley not had the wherewithal to keep a sensible mind?"

Harry flailed slightly before he shouted, "I KNOW!" he tried to turn to the pregnant witch as best as he could, "I'm sorry, Hermione! I can't apologize enough for the way I acted towards you yesterday. I was the epitome of a horrible friend and I'm ashamed of myself." He struggled against Snape's hold a bit more, "Be mad at me, I want you to be but at least talk to me. Gin told me you were leaving today…"

Ron's voice wavered, "Leaving without saying goodbye."

"Well you didn't exactly give me much of a choice," Hermione huffed.

"Yes, we all know Harry and Ron are arses for what they did and didn't do," Ginny spoke over the boy's affronted protests, "But I think we have bigger things to worry about; like the fact that there are warrants out for _both _of your arrests now!"

Severus' black eyes glared from Miss Weasley to Potter before he turned to the bushy-haired witch. As much as he wanted to hex the arrogant sod into next year, this was Hermione's call. Whatever she chose, he would abide by but that didn't stop him from hoping for a miracle.

Hermione's cinnamon eyes caught his ink black ones as she sighed, "Severus, let Harry go."

_Damn it!_

The wizard didn't even extend the courtesy of placing Potter back on the ground first as he purposely took the pregnant witch's words in the most literal context.

Hermione turned and went back into the room; without a word.

Severus reluctantly dropped his wards for Potter and the Weasley brats as he followed his witch inside.

******0o0o0o0******

Snape sat at the small table next to the window and was surprised when Hermione moved to perch herself on his knee. Looking up, he saw his shock as well as a fair amount of disgust on Potter and the Weasley boy's face. Though it was rather blatant and childish, the wizard had to admit -if only to himself- that it was quite amusing to make the dolts uncomfortable.

"So," Severus' deep voice caught everyone's attention, "if you weren't the one to open your disrespectful mouth, Potter, who spoke of our business to the authorities and that rag of a news article?"

Harry looked as if he was on the verge of a tantrum as he balled his fists, glared at Snape and spoke through gritted teeth, "Haven't the foggiest but it's not like Hermione's...condition is much of a secret if she went to St. Mungo's."

"Are you saying professional conduct is subpar at St. Mungo's?" Hermione asked with an anxious undercurrent.

"Unlikely," Severus fielded the question, "Every member of the medical staff has to take a patient confidentiality oath. They would not be able to speak of a patient's condition unless it's with other employees."

"But surely there are loopholes," Ginny spoke up.

Hermione turned to peer at the dark wizard, "Yeah, look at how easily Gin navigated around her oath."

"Yeah and what about any nosey patient or passersby, they have no oath to adhere to do they." Ron said as he sat down at the foot of the bed only to immediately stand back up and stare warily at the messed up bedding.

Severus smirked wickedly at Weasley discomfort as he sat forward to wrap his right arm around Hermione's waist. "I said it was unlikely the leak came from St. Mungo's staff, I didn't say it was impossible."

Hermione leaned against Snape and draped her left arm over his shoulders.

Potter twitched before voicing his unease, "Ugh, do you two have to do that?" He shook his head and averted his eyes, "I said the way I acted was wrong Mi, I didn't say I was at all at ease with the both of you as a couple!"

Ron nodded, "There _are_ other places to sit, Mione!"

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Can't you both see they're deliberately winding you up?"

Hermione chuckled, "Your expressions are priceless."

Uncaring of anyone's issues with his proximity to Hermione, Severus thought about the matter concerning who could possibly know so much about himself and Hermione, "Could it have been Skeeter? She is an Animagus after all."

"No, she was banned from the hospital the day you left; long unimportant story." The witch was obviously deep in thought before she spoke again, "Did Kingsley seem…I dunno, odd or anything to any of you yesterday?"

Harry still seemed a bit squeamish as he kept his eyes averted and answered, "No."

"He was like he always is," Ron elaborated.

Ginny nodded, "Yeah, until…" the redhead's eyes rounded as she inhaled quickly, "Until he got that Patronus alerting him of an emergency last night!"

Ron snapped his fingers as if a light bulb just lit up in his head, "You're right!" He turned to Hermione and Snape, "He stayed at the Burrow until late last night; most of the Order did. Anyway, he was talking to our father when a gigantic shark came bursting into the sitting room and told Kingsley that there was an emergency that needed his attention. He was up and saying his goodbyes before the Patronus disappeared!"

Ginny nodded, "That was most likely an Auror wanting Shacklebolt's signature on the warrant. But why would he sign off on Hermione's arrest, I would have thought he would have consulted the Order."

"Well, not just anyone can call upon the Minister of Magic." the dark wizard stated, "Whoever called him had to have clout. If that person had damaging evidence against Hermione, Shacklebolt would have no choice but to sign the warrant."

"Truth."

The wizard turned to look questioningly at the witch still perched on his knee.

"I don't know how, but it had to have been Auror Truth," Hermione said as she stood and began to pace. "He has some sort of vendetta against Severus-"

Ron scoffed, "Yeah, who doesn't?"

Hermione huffed in exasperation before continuing. "Truth confronted me yesterday; basically guessing that I was Severus' accomplice and he's gunning for me, Severus and the Head-Auror position!"

"But he had no proof when he confronted you," Severus reminded her, "Kingsley wouldn't sign a warrant to arrest one third of the Golden Trio without significant evidence."

"Then somehow he got significant evidence! It really doesn't matter now because what's done is done, Severus, now we have to concentrate on getting out of here!" Hermione said with an impatient tinge to her voice. "Your plan for travel won't work now so we've got to think of another."

"You had a plan for travel, what was it?" Ginny asked.

Hermione answered, "I was going to take an international portkey to Sidney and Severus was going to Appara-"

Harry turned to stare daggers at Snape as he interrupted his friend, "You were going to let her travel by herself?" He turned to Hermione, "And you actually thought it was a good idea?" he turned back to the dark wizard, "This is all your fault, you wanker! Hermione has to run because of you and you were probably planning on leaving her! That's why you wanted to travel separately!"

Severus felt like backhanding the brat as he stood and spat, "Keep silent about things you know nothing of, Potter!"

"ENOUGH," Hermione shouted as she insinuated herself between Harry and Severus, "Both of you!" She turned to the dark wizard, "I know that's not what you were going to do." She turned to glare at Harry, "And I would run whether my freedom was on the line or not! I do not feel duty-bound or as if I've somehow drawn the short straw here, Harry! Severus isn't making me do a damn thing! I've chosen this path for myself…for him, for my family…to keep my family together."

"But we're your family too!" Harry bit out.

"Yes, you are, and though I will always love all of you like my siblings, you have to understand that…you don't take priority over Severus and my son."

Severus was struck dumb. He'd never come before anyone to anyone, ever. He saw the offended looks on the Weasleys' and Potter's faces and wondered how Hermione would justify this obvious insult to the brats.

"Harry, you've been my main concern for so long, you have to understand that you just can't be that anymore. Situations change as do priorities. I would never want to come before Ginny on your list of priorities and I know that even though Ginny loves her brother, Ron does not come before you on her list."

"Wow, you're really doing loads to make me feel wanted, Mi." Ron mumbled as he crossed his arms and sulked.

The redheaded witch rolled her eyes at her brother, "Ron, this isn't a confidence building exercise for you, alright? We all love you," She gestured to the dark wizard, "Snape excluded. Now shut it so we can get back to the matter at hand." Ginny grasped her boyfriend's arm and pulled him back behind her as she asked Hermione, "Now that you can't go anywhere near the Ministry, how are you two going to get out of the country?"

Hermione shrugged, "I suppose we'll have to travel the muggle way; for some time, anyway."

Ginny huffed, "Well, you obviously didn't read the rest of The Prophet before unleashing your inner pyro. Aurors are monitoring every type of travel; even muggle."

"Why in bloody hell would she read anymore than that headline?" Severus asked snidely. "That waste of parchment gets exponentially shoddier with every issue. It practically robs one of brain cells with every turn of the page," he nodded to Potter and Weasley, "some more precious than others."

Ron frowned before he obviously got the jibe, "HEY!"

Hermione turned and glared at her wizard, "Severus, every second you spend goading Harry and Ron is another second not spent finding a solution to our traveling dilemma. That in itself, Severus, is a problem. Stop being part of the problem and start being part of the solution before I hex you!"

Severus scowled as Hermione's attention shifted to the ginger-headed witch again.

"How are they monitoring travel?"

Ron spoke up, "Shacklebolt banned any broom travel and apparition in or out of the country for a week. Aurors are dressed like muggle authorities and set up at every major train station and plane port-"

Harry corrected his friend, "You mean airport, mate."

"Yeah, yeah," Ron turned back to Hermione, "Their even searching fairies, although, I don't know why. No fairy is going to get mixed up in a wizard's business."

Hermione shook her head, "No a ferry, in muggle terms, is a boat that allows muggles to-" she shook her head, "Never mind."

"International floo travel is on hold for a week and international portkeying is being monitored way too closely," Ginny finished in a defeated tone. "I-I just don't see how both of you are going to get out."

"Well, what about polyjuice?" Ron suggested.

"I only have enough for one of us and if _you_ came up with such a suggestion this quickly, Weasley, you can bet The Ministry and, by extension, the Aurors have already put a system in place to search for such a subterfuge." Severus drawled.

"You know what, I'm sick of you, Snape, at least I'm trying to help!" Ron barked.

"Severus," Hermione warned.

Locking his eyes with the pregnant witch, Severus thought for a moment about possible solutions and spoke absently. "What we need…is something similar to polyjuice or a glamour…with no magical signature what so ever."

Harry scoffed, "A glamour is a charm and, by definition, has magical properties and therefore a magical signature."

"And that is why I said 'something similar to', Potter!" Severus was ready to tear into the messy-haired little arse when he felt a small hand on his chest. Looking down, he saw Hermione beaming up at him and was instantly filled with confusion.

"Severus, you're a genius!"

_What…in the hell…?_

Hermione began to laugh, "Why hadn't I thought of this sooner?"

"Thought of what?" Everyone else in the room asked in unison.

The pregnant witch nibbled her lower lip, "It's so blatantly obvious!" she began giggling again.

"Hermione, would you be so kind as to enlighten all of us." Snape spoke with measured patience.

"We, as a people, rely heavily on sight," Hermione began explaining excitedly, "Regardless of if we should or not, people on the whole, take what they see to be fact."

Ron cleared his throat, "Yeah...muggles maybe, but we're magical, we know seeing can rarely be believing."

"Exactly, Ron!" Hermione pointed to him and then clapped giddily.

The redhead puffed out his chest at the praise.

"Witches and wizards do not rely as heavily on sight as they do on feeling."

Severus frowned, "You mean touch."

"No, I mean feel," the pregnant witch shook her head. "From the very moment we're born," she motioned between her and Harry, "Or, in our case, from the moment we go to Diagon Alley or pass onto platform nine and three-quarters, we learn how to feel magic... In our surroundings and ourselves, we feel out magic to help us see what our eyes can't." Hermione giggled and held her arms out expectantly towards the dark wizard.

Still very puzzled, Snape bent low for the witch's arms to wrap around his neck. She kissed him; seemingly uncaring of their audience.

"Don't you see?" she whispered only to him.

His obsidian orbs locked with her eyes that were dancing with excitement and wished he could grasp her logic. "No."

Pulling away but still staying within the wizard's arms, Hermione said, "How can anyone feel for magic that isn't there, and thusly, how could we be singled out?"

Clearing his throat, Harry asked, "Am I missing something?"

Severus was glad the whelp asked such a question so he wouldn't have to. He was actually wondering if the witch was more exhausted than she seemed and was now slipping into a state of delirium. He watched closely as she turned to her friends and smiled.

"Misdirection, Harry. Aurors are thinking like Aurors which means they're barely thinking at all and definitely not thinking like a muggle. I bet you ten galleons that they expect us to try and flee by magical means or use magic to change our appearance." She turned back to Snape and smiled, "So isn't it obvious, then, that we don't?"

"Don't what?"

"Use magic to change our appearance."

Severus looked at her large cinnamon eyes pleading for his approval and sighed. "Hermione, you aren't making any sense."

"No, she's making perfect sense."

The wizard looked over to Miss Weasley and was unsettled with the rather large smile she had forming.

"It's brilliant, Mione!" Ginny started to laugh, "And not one of those daft oafs will think twice!"

"Think twice about what?" Ron shouted.

Ginny cleared her throat and stated with a fair amount of mischief, "A makeover... the muggle way!"

"Think about it, we don't have our wands, therefore, our magic isn't concentrated anywhere which will make it significantly more difficult for anyone to sense!" the words flew out of Hermione's mouth in rapid succession. "And using muggle means to disguise ourselves will only confuse them further!"

Snape watched Hermione as she nibbled her lower lip and sighed. "Just what is needed for this…plan?"

******0o0o0o0******

Severus stared unseeingly out the hotel room window; restraining the urge to use the tempus charm once again.

He would be lying if he said he knew exactly what was going on. After the Weasley girl said something about a muggle makeover, she and Hermione erupted in a flurry of high-pitched ramblings that ended with his pregnant witch making a list and sending Ginny out the door with it.

After that, she turned her attentions to the dubious duo and concentrated conversation on Australia and finding her parents. Even with the stress and the heightened urgency of their departure, Severus found himself oddly at ease with just sitting back and listening to the anticipation in Hermione's voice as she spoke about reuniting with her mother and father.

It didn't take long before Miss Weasley came back with multiple bags full of items and in the blink of an eye, she and Hermione shut themselves in the bathroom.

That was more than an hour ago. The wizard almost wanted to guess an hour and a half but he refused using the tempus charm again after the third time garnered amused snorts from Potter and Weasley.

So he stood there, staring out the window, wondering what in the name of Merlin was going on behind that bathroom door as the idiots talked amongst themselves. He didn't much care what Potter and Weasley were talking about so when Potter spoke his name, it pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Snape?" Harry said once more.

The dark wizard turned and glared down his nose at both boys. "What, _Potter_?"

Harry and Ron looked at each other before Harry took a measured breath and stepped towards Snape. "We…we need to talk."

"Do we, _really_?" Severus was proud of how much sarcasm he could pack into three words but kept a look of bored annoyance on his features.

"Yeah, we do," Harry spat through clenched teeth before gathering himself once more. His tone was more controlled when he spoke again. "Hermione means the world to me…to us-"

"And that was shown yesterday when you all but called her a moron, my son nothing more than a tool for manipulation and walked away from her like she meant nothing," Severus drawled as he crossed his arms.

"Oi, listen here you slimy bastard," Ron stepped in front of Harry. "For all we know, you couldn't give two shits about Hermione or her baby! You need to tell us your intentions and you need to tell us now!" The redhead pushed the dark wizard.

Severus snatched one of Weasley's wrists and twisted around until the boy had no choice but twist with it. When Weasley was turned towards Potter, Snape grasped a fistful of the boy's red hair and growled lowly in his ear, "I do not answer to anyone now, Weasley, least of all you! If you touch me again, you will lose the offending appendage." The dark wizard shoved the boy away from him.

Harry caught Ron before he fell to the floor. After making sure Ron was steady, Harry glared up at Snape. "I know it's no secret that we can't stand you."

"Feeling is mutual," Severus quipped.

"And we don't trust you."

"I'm not losing sleep over it, I assure you."

"And I don't give a fuck what you lose sleep over!" Harry clenched his jaw several times before saying, "But since you're making assurances, I would like you to swear that…whatever is between you and Hermione… I want you to swear to me, to us, that it's real and you're not just using her."

"You never were one to listen, Potter. Did I not just tell Weasley that I answer to no one? I repeat that statement to you." Severus spat.

"Oh, cut the shit!" Harry stepped to the dark wizard; his green eyes alight with anger and frustration. "Can't you just stop being an arse for _two seconds_ and be the man Hermione somehow sees buried inside? Even a _fraction_ of that man she sees?"

Severus stayed silent and continued to glare at the messy-haired boy.

Sighing, Harry said, "I am not proud of my actions yesterday and I'll admit that my words came from a selfish place. I mean, you're taking her away from us!"

Ron scowled as he spoke. "We were angry! You can't tell us you haven't ever said things you didn't mean out of anger so quit hanging it over our heads, arsehole!" He shook his head, "We love Hermione unconditionally! We will always be there for her and her baby whether or not you stay in the picture. What we want to know is if you can say the same. Do you even feel anything _remotely _close to caring for her or is she just your way out?"

With his obsidian eyes piercing Weasley's, then Potter's and back to Weasley's again, Severus gritted his teeth and asked, "What exactly are you insinuating?"

"So _many _things-" Ron started but Harry nudged him to shut him up.

"All we're saying is," Harry spoke up; "If you're looking for a clean escape...you don't need Hermione to do it."

Ron nodded, "If Mione means nothing to you, if you're just taking her along for some sort of...like hostage or something to guarantee no one from the Order or anyone comes after you, you don't have to. We'll help you out of the country."

"We'll keep quiet, we'll take care of Hermione and we'll even give her an excuse for you." Harry urged.

Snape blinked several times; absolutely stunned at what he was hearing. Gryffindors were actually attempting to bribe him; a life-long Slytherin. What was painfully amusing was that they believed they were actually pulling one over on him. He didn't know if he wanted to laugh out-right or snap their necks. Severus decided to go the Slytherin route by sussing out more information. "How exactly do you plan on helping me and what would you tell Hermione?"

Ron jumped in animatedly; seeming to believe that the dark wizard was taking the deal. "Well, we figure we'd use Hermione's muggle made over idea."

"Makeover," Harry corrected.

"And then travel with you out of the UK." Ron continued, "When we're somewhere with a bit more relaxed security, we'll distract Hermione and you can go."

Harry nodded, "Free from prosecution and free from responsibility."

Both fuckwits had the nerve to smirk at the dark wizard. Severus clenched his jaw so hard his teeth hurt but -with a deep breath- he managed to keep his voice steady as his features went blank, "And what of my son?"

Ron and Harry looked at each other and then to Snape again.

"He'll be accepted like family." Harry said.

"I'll raise him like my own," Ron spoke up.

Harry shrugged, "Anyway, what do you care? They won't be your problem anymore."

"_Enough_," Snape whispered acidly. "Both of you quit right now," He spat with more force; his whole body rigid in an attempt to keep from attacking the brats. Severus focused on the redhead, "I will die a thousand deaths before I allow you or anyone else father _MY _child!" His angry ink black eyes turned to Potter as he growled, "And it will be a cold day in hell before I'm bribed by a couple of dunderheaded Gryffindors! Bribery and doublespeak is my house's specialty and you'll do good to remember that." He glared at both boys for a long moment before speaking again. "I owe you no explanations whatsoever on my relationship with Hermione and since you have no trust in me, anything I say will not alleviate your doubts...However, I will say this," Snape hissed like a snake, "If I didn't want the responsibility, I would have been nothing but smoke and a memory the moment I was out of that hospital." He took an intimidating step towards the dumbfounded boys. "I have lived my whole life with dark marks of every variation throwing me into the shadows, so believe me when I say I could easily escape prosecution and never be found again if I wanted to but I would sooner dance into the arms of a dementor before I let Hermione believe she or my son mean nothing to me."

Both Harry and Ron were gob smacked.

Relaxing his stance, Severus raised an eyebrow, "Though, I really must thank you for giving me ammunition on the both of you just now. I wonder what Hermione will think of her friends bribing me into leaving her." This time he did chuckle at their panicked looks. "I may be able to let this...moment in time slip from my mind provided I get a few assurances from the both of you."

Ron's mouth resembled that of a fish. "Wh-wait, you just-"

"Turned the tables? I know." Severus stated boredly.

"That's blackmail, Snape," Harry barked.

"How very perceptive of you." the dark wizard watched both boys flounder for a minute before he stated his terms. "Quit with these sad attempts at keeping your little trio together, grow up and-"

"Maybe you should grow up and stop robbing the cradle." Ron interrupted.

Severus rolled his eyes, "Hermione was of age before we were intimate."

"Barely," Harry mumbled.

The redheaded wizard nodded his head vigorously, "Yeah, just how long have you had your creepy little eyes on her, you dungeon dwelling letch?"

"I'm not getting into this with either of you," Snape endeavored not to be pulled into another petty squabble. "Quit being spoiled little twits and assure me you will do what is needed to get the charges against me and Hermione dropped."

"Oh, believe me, we will, but only to get Hermione back where she belongs." Ron sneered.

Harry unclenched his hands and raised his right hand up; open to receive Snape's hand. "Yeah...friends close, enemies closer and all that. If you're going to be in Mione's life, I want you as close as possible so I know you aren't mistreating her in any way."

"How sentimental." the dark wizard eyed Potter's hand.

Harry grunted with frustration and shouted, "Fuck off and shake on it, you prick!"

After a long moment, Severus grasped the green eyed wizard's hand in a rough shake just as giggles could be heard from the bathroom. It was a tell-tale sign that the witches' dropped the silencio they put on the door and were most likely moments away from gracing the wizards with their belated presence. The dark wizard turned and smiled imperiously at both boys, "So glad we could reach an understanding." Snape let Potter's hand go and stepped away from him right as the bathroom door opened.

The sight his eyes landed on took his breath away.

"Ta-da!" Ginny said excitedly as she clapped and urged Hermione to twirl around; obviously proud of her efforts. "Doesn't she look a picture?"

And she did, Hermione truly looked fantastic but entirely different. Her freckles were gone, her eyes were bright blue and her hair was... Hermione's honey curls were gone and replaced by a short, straight, blonde pixie cut. She was wearing a powder blue sundress that accentuated her baby bump and made her look older than she was.

"Blimey, Hermione!" Ron exclaimed.

Harry nodded at his girlfriend before clearing his throat and smiling at his friend, "I suspect you could fool anyone now, you look great."

"And I didn't before?" Hermione asked in mock irritation.

"No...I mean, yes...I mean-"

"Relax, Harry, I know what you meant." The pregnant witch laughed before turning her bright blue eyes to the dark wizard, "W-what do you think, Severus?"

Snape was actually at a loss for words. This witch that was in front of him was beautiful, but she was not his witch.

Stepping towards Hermione, Severus lifted his hand to touch the short blonde spikes. His eyes locked with hers. "H-how is this not magic?"

The Weasley girl snorted, "Didn't you grow up with muggles?"

The dark wizard glared at the witch, "How and where I grew up is none of your business. Those years hold nothing I long to remember." All of his annoyance with the brats Hermione called friends as well as his long caged anger about his adolescent years threatened to bubble over when he felt a soft small hand cup his cheek and urge his attention away from the redheaded witch. When his eyes turned back to Hermione, he was met with the same understanding smile that has been settling all the anger within him as of late.

Hermione said softly as she let her hand drop from Severus' cheek to smooth out his collar. "Some powders, paste, a bit of dye, contacts and a new haircut; the end result is just like a glamour." Hermione nibbled on her lower lip as she continued to look up at Severus. "Y-you still haven't told me what you think. H-how do I look?"

In that moment, Severus didn't care who was looking as he gave his witch a genuine smile and brought his left hand up to feel her hair while his right mimicked her earlier movement and cupped her cheek. "You look beautiful, Hermione. You will always look beautiful." He bent down and touched her lips lightly with his own.

"Really," Hermione asked after their chaste kiss.

"Always," he nodded.

Hermione smiled,

"Okay, okay, time is wasting here," Miss Weasley cut through the semi-private moment. "What are we gonna do with him?"

The dark wizard saw the redheaded witch pointing at him and frowned.

"I'll deal with him. Be out in a moment."

Feeling Hermione's petite hand slip into his, Severus allowed her to pull him into the restroom; shutting the door just as Potter decided to open his mouth.

"Just remember we're out here. No messin' around, yeah?"

Snape said as he leaned against the closed door, "I swear it is a miracle I haven't strangled that dunderhead yet."

Hermione turned to him as she leaned against the counter. "It is and I'm really quite proud."

He rolled his eyes, "I try." He smirked, "So what tortures are you going to put me through now?"

"Such a pessimist," Hermione joked even as she reached behind her back and presented a small box to him. "So, how do you feel about becoming a brunette?" she shook the box for emphasis.

_Bloody hell...!_

_******0o0o0o0******  
><em>

Staring at his reflection as his fingers tunneled through his newly cut and dyed hair, Severus huffed, "How long will it take for these effects to wear off?" his hazel eyes framed by black rectangle frames moved to scowl at Hermione's reflection.

"Not until you're ready to change it back," the witch smiled at him as her right hand moved to play with the hair at the nape of his neck, "Nothing a few potions can't fix."

Snape turned to wrap her in his arms, his slight annoyance at his more permanent change in appearance turning to that of slight concern as he watched his witch stifle a yawn. "How are you feeling?"

There was a brief pause before she shrugged and answered, "Anxious mostly. I just want to get passed this mess and get somewhere where we can relax."

"The time is coming soon enough," he assured before asking, "And the little one?"

"Napping, I'm guessing. He's been fairly inactive since I sat down and let Ginny cut my hair." her hands moved to toy with her sort locks.

Severus moved to do the same.

"Do you really like it?"

His eyes locked with hers and he smiled, "I prefer your curls but it is as you have stated before, nothing a potion can't fix if you are missing your curls as well." Snape watched as Hermione's expression tuned to one of cautious glee.

"You...you miss my curls?"

He struggled for words before reluctantly speaking, "I have...developed a certain...attachment to them, yes."

"Aaahhhh!"

"Don't 'ah' me woman."

Hermione laughed before stating matter-of-factly, "Well, I miss your long black hair," she reached up and twirled a bit of the dark wizard's short brown hair around her fingers. "And your eyes… It might sound completely crazy but I don't feel like I'm looking into your eyes with those colored contacts in."

"Truer words have never been spoken," Severus said as he kissed her forehead.

"Love the glasses, though."

"They will be the first thing to go, Hermione, I'm serious." His tone left no room for argument.

"Okay,"

Snape painted a kiss upon the witch's brow before he reluctantly pulled away from her, "I had better get showered and changed if we are to ever to get somewhere where we can relax."

"I suppose," she nodded. "Wear the clothes that are in that shopping bag, okay?" She pointed to a black plastic bag on the counter next to the sink.

Snape watched Hermione close the bathroom door before he started the shower and shed his clothes.

******0o0o0o0******

Severus looked at himself in the mirror again, not really caring much for the khaki trousers or light blue button-down he had found in the black plastic shopping bag next to the sink.

His wardrobe had always been monochromatic with a splash of emerald green making an appearance every once in a while. He also wasn't fond of the yuppier version of himself that he saw in the mirror but wasn't quite sure why this particular transformation bothered him so much more than the others. Severus finally settled with the fact that this transformation -while easy enough to correct with a few potions- was more permanent and slightly alien to him.

Vanishing anything with his or Hermione's DNA on it and cleaning all the surfaces in the loo with a flick of his wrist, the dark wizard took an almost meditative breath before opening the door.

He immediately tensed at the sight of two unknown men in the room before he realized it was just Potter and Weasley disguised. Both dolts had long hair and beards, Weasley looked like one of those dunderheads that partook in activities of the opiate and hallucinogenic nature while Potter had many colorful designs covering every bit of his skin that was showing.

"Severus," Hermione exclaimed happily as she jumped up from the bed and walked to him. "I think we've got a plan." she slipped her hand in his.

"Does this plan involve Potter and Weasley being a source of great amusement for me?" Snape turned to the disguised boys, "because I must tell you that, for once, you've gone above and beyond."

"Oi, you're one to talk!" Ron said indignantly.

"Yeah, Snape, have you looked in the mirror lately? You're quite an amusing sight, yourself." Potter said as he and Weasley chuckled.

"I think it's an improvement, actually," Miss Weasley voiced her opinion. "Now he doesn't look like he just came from a crypt."

"Ginny!" Hermione hissed but the redheaded witch was obviously undeterred.

"And look, you both match; I knew it would look cute."

"GINNY!"

The dark wizard's eyes narrowed before he directed the conversation back on topic. "So what is our plan?" he turned to his witch who smiled at him.

"More misdirection. Everything is too tense here so I think we should take the train to Paris and then take an international Portkey from there; sort of what we had planned earlier only we're all going on the train." Hermione gestured to everyone in the room. "Security to get to that train will likely be the most trying part of our journey so I thought, why not have a few decoys?"

Hermione pointed to the dunderheaded duo and Severus couldn't stop the sneering smirk that moved over his features. "Draw the Aurors' attention to the two actually using a glamour and away from us."

"I figured if the Aurors can detect such a thing; why not manipulate them as much as we can to favor us? If Harry and Ron get stopped, we can just slip passed." Hermione shrugged.

Severus looked down at his pregnant witch. "It's brilliant."

"So, we have a brilliant plan and all of you are disguised quite fantastically if I do say so myself," Ginny made a show of polishing her nails on her shirt before smiling, "I guess the only thing left to do is get on with it."

"Alright," Hermione said on an exhaled breath as she turned and gathered her bag.

"Before we go, Mi," Harry spoke up,

"Uh, Ginny found something when she went shopping that she wanted to give to you." Ron finished.

Severus watched curiously as the redheaded witch stepped up to Hermione.

"I was going to owl it but…" The Weasley girl smiled hesitantly at Hermione. "Actually, I sort of took a detour to Diagon Alley," Ginny smiled before clearing her throat. "Coming here today was completely unplanned, I thought last night was the last time I would see you before you went on your little vacation-"

"And it is a vacation too, Mione. You'll be back here in no time," Ron interrupted.

Harry nodded, "We won't rest until all charges are dropped on both of you."

"The point is," Ginny steered them back on topic, "yesterday was tough. Saying goodbye is complete bolloks, even if it's only for a short time." She sighed, "I spent almost a year without seeing you...and all the uncertainty surrounding every minute of every day... Now…with Fr-" the redhead's voice wobbled before cutting short. She sniffled and cleared her throat, "Well, needless to say, I abhor saying goodbye these days, so I won't." Ginny pulled out a book and presented it to Hermione. "This is a journal, a special journal. This journal has a twin that I intend to keep and when you write in yours, the words show up in mine. Think back to my first year and my unpleasant run in with Riddle, only these journals aren't cursed to turn you into a mindless drone, I promise."

Hermione and Ginny giggled as they both wiped daintily at their glassy eyes.

"So...so now we can talk every day even though we'll be half a world away." The redhead finished.

"Gin," Hermione took the journal from her friend before pulling her into a hug, "I love it...thank you."

"Thank Harry for giving me the idea. He was talking about getting you a muggle phone but-"

"Neither of us knows much about mobile phones." Harry took over, "Plus, you being such a bookworm, we thought you would appreciate this more."

"I do, I do. Thank you...thank you all."

Severus watched Hermione hug her friends.

"I'll write you every day."

"Perhaps you won't need to write Miss Weasley at all if we do not get moving." Snape finally spoke up.

Hermione turned to glare at him but sighed and nodded. "We are pressed for time, aren't we?" She placed her new journal in her beaded bag and led the way out of the hotel room.

After making sure the room looked untouched, Severus followed the small group into the hallway.

******0o0o0o0******

Twenty minutes and a series of apparition cracks later, the small group was standing in an alley across the street from the St. Pancras station in central London.

Severus adjusted his clothing moodily as he turned to glare at his pregnant and very insistent witch. "Are you satisfied?"

"Yes, very," She smiled sweetly before rolling her eyes. "Severus, we needed to hurry and taking a train into London would have been another hour and a half wasted."

He continued to glare.

Hermione huffed, "The healer said I could still side-along." She spun around, "I'm still here and I don't feel at all sick."

The dark wizard wanted to refute her words and argue her into submission but now wasn't the time so he settled with hissed words, "We will not be apparating again." with that, he turned around and started making his way out of the alley on his way to the train station; hearing the disbelieving whispers behind him.

"I can't believe he folded." Potter said.

Weasley murmured hastily, "Yeah, how'd you do that? I thought for sure he was going to drag you kicking and screaming onto the train in Ipswich."

"I honestly haven't a clue, but after fifteen minutes of arguing, I'm just as surprised as all of you that he actually let me side-along." the disbelief was apparent in Hermione's voice.

"Wow, Mi, you have the greasy git wrapped around your finger." Miss Weasley stifled a giggle.

_Fucking hell!_

"I do not and don't call him that, Gin!" Hermione scolded. "All of you need to quit calling him names."

Ron snorted, "We'll get right on that as soon as he does the same."

_Not bloody likely._

"It's a circle, you know? One of you has got to be the bigger person and take initiative." Hermione spoke haughtily.

Severus rolled his eyes as he continued walking in front of the group. He was uncomfortable with his weakness for Hermione being so obvious but he forced himself to seem unaffected and focused on the task at hand.

As soon as they crossed the street and made their way to the entrance of the station, Severus felt the layers upon layers of wards around the building.

"Holy crickets!" Hermione whispered.

The peculiar amount of muggle authorities shuffling about and people dressed horrendously just standing around caught Snape's eye and had him questioning their plan. "We may need to reevaluate this," he whispered lowly as his eyes moved around the crowd. "I count fifteen Aurors just in this area alone."

"And if we turn tail now, they'll all get suspicious!" Harry argued.

Snape felt a small familiar hand slide into his and tighten its hold. He looked down to lock eyes with his witch.

"Harry's right, Severus, I don't like this but we're here now and it's all we had planned."

"I can always find us another way." He whispered.

"Yes, but at what cost and in what length of time? We barely have any as it is." Hermione argued.

"While we're alive, people." Ginny urged them as she looked around the busy crowd.

Severus nodded after a moment and spoke loud enough for the small group to hear. "Then walk with your heads high like you belong here. Confidence is key." With that said, he grasped Hermione's hand and led the group into the station, through the bustling sea of unsuspecting muggles and around all the oddly dressed loiterers that were obviously Aurors.

Once at the ticket stand, Severus glared down his nose at the young female teller. "One round trip ticket to Paris, first class."

The teller smacked her gum loudly as she kept her eyes on the muggle magazine she was flipping through, "What time d'you want?"

"The next train out."

The teller sighed; still smacking her gum. "That'll be a hundred-n-ninety pounds, mate."

As Severus pulled out his wallet from his trouser pocket and turned to Hermione as he fished out the proper currency and discreetly passed it to her; whispering, "Buy yourself a one way ticket."

"Buying tickets slipped my mind!" she said; obviously disappointed in her slip up.

"Then I suppose you should thank me for remembering." He smirked.

"Well, what about Gin, Ron and Harry?"

"Hermione, the whole point of them tagging along is to be unattached decoys. How can we claim not to know them if we can be filmed interacting at the ticket line?" He watched the witch frown before nodding and pulling out her beaded bag.

"For fuck's sake...you're right, of course."

Snape handed the money to the teller as he watched Hermione pull out her wallet.

Hermione dug out all of her money and handed it all unobtrusively over to Ginny. "That's all I have but it should be enough for you to get you at least two round trip tickets.

"Thanks, Mi." Ginny whispered.

Focusing on getting the tickets and directions to the proper platform, Snape cleared his throat loudly before walking away. Moving a decent distance from the ticket line, the dark wizard endeavored to keep Hermione in his sights.

"Excuse me sir."

Severus was standing off to the side of the sea of people for no more than two minutes before he was staring at a woman dressed like a muggle authority; whether she was or not was still up for debate. Even so, Snape wasn't taking any chances as he spoke; deliberately changing his accent. "Yes officer, how can I help you?"

"Ah, American, huh? In London for business or pleasure?" the officer asked with a smile.

Checking Hermione's progress by briefly looking over the officer's shoulder, he saw the witch looking anxious as she walked towards him. He shook his head minutely and moved his eyes to the platform signs; hoping she got the message. Clearing his throat, Severus turned his attention back to the officer. "Uh, pleasure," he smiled, "On vacation and traveling around Europe." He searched for his witch again and saw her walking a few feet behind Potter and Weasley; almost to the platforms.

"Fantastic, where are you headed to next?"

"Paris, off to see the Eiffel Tower and all the other cliché touristy stuff." Snape said with a perfect American accent.

"Jolly good! Did you need any assistance finding your platform?" The officer asked. "It's just that I noticed you standing here looking a bit lost."

The wizard narrowed his eyes but chuckled, "No, I was just...admiring the...architecture of the station. Could you tell me when it was built," Snape asked, "Or a bit of the history behind it?" The officer started to look a bit uneasy, which was what he was counting on.

"I don't really know much about the station."

"Do you know where I can find information about it?"

The officer looked around and spoke with an unsure voice, "A library, I suppose, or the...um, muggle web."

_Bingo,_

Snape fought to keep a grin off his face as arranged his features into a confused frown. "Muggle? Is that some sort of British slang?"

The officer looked mortified as she stuttered slightly. "Ha...yeah, British-will you excuse me, I think I've spotted someone trying to steal from that trolley over there."

Looking to the space the officer was pointing; Snape didn't see a trolley anywhere but smiled as the disguised Auror practically ran away from him. Turning on his heal, the wizard made his way to the platforms.

It didn't take him long but as soon as he got to the stairs, any ease he felt after pulling one over on the dunderheaded Auror evaporated when he saw Potter and Weasley on their hands and knees; hacking and coughing while Miss Weasley was bent over both of them, shrieking anxiously with tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Baby, breathe! Ron, what's happening! SOMEBODY HELP!"

Severus immediately began searching the crowd for Hermione but his eyes landed on four very determined men pushing their way through the mass of bodies, towards the scene at the foot of the stairs.

"What's going on here?" one of the determined four men demanded. Another moved to the distraught witch.

"Miss, I need you to back away."

As soon as Severus stepped foot onto the platforms, he felt a strong wave of magic envelope him then quickly disperse. It was almost suffocating but it left too quickly for him to react. He suspected that same wave of magic was the reason for Potter and Weasley predicament.

Scanning the crowd, the wizard spotted pixie-blonde hair close to a beam about twenty feet away. He made his way over there and saw his witch leaning against the beam; crying.

"Hermione?"

"Severus...! What's happening to them?" Hermione asked as she moved to the wizard for comfort.

As much as he didn't want to, Snape stopped the witch from coming too close to him. At her look of confusion, he whispered, "We don't know who might be watching."

That stopped her in her tracks.

"We should move...now."

"But-"

Severus spoke over her protest, "Start walking towards our train. Now, Hermione." He watched as the pregnant witch warred with her emotions before she turned around and started walking. He fell in step behind her. "I believe what Potter and Weasley are experiencing is some sort of reaction to their glamour charms hitting the wards over this platform. Did you not feel that stifling air settle over you as soon as you left the stairs?" he asked Hermione even as he looked preoccupied with reading the numbers on each platform.

Hermione sniffled, "Yes but...Gods, I didn't think that would have been the reaction. I never would have let them. Do you think they'll be alright?"

He was proud of his witch keeping it together as much as she was and making sure she didn't turn back to look at him but knew that these heightened emotions were wearing her down. Severus forced himself not to get too close to her as he answered, "I believe they will be fine. Four Aurors were on the way to their side when I passed. As soon as their glamours are canceled, they'll be released. Potter's the infallible chosen one and Weasley's his bloody side-"

"Don't, Severus! Just don't...not right now." Hermione wiped her eyes.

The wizard was silent for a moment; debating on what he should say next when he suddenly ran into his pregnant witch. "Her-"

"Truth...!"

Frowning, he asked, "What?"

"Truth...Truth is here!"

Severus searched the crowd and sure enough, Truth was dressed in a police uniform and walking with purpose in the opposite direction of himself and Hermione. His eyes were focused on the area where Potter and Weasley were making a scene.

"H-why would he be here? H-how could he possibly know," Hermione asked frantically. "Out of all the stations...all the ways to travel...!"

As Truth was about to pass by them, Severus nudged Hermione and hissed hastily, "Silence, woman!" The Auror was almost passed them when he looked away from the scene and locked eyes briefly with Snape. Against every muscle in his body, Severus nodded cordially at Truth; knowing that diverting his eyes too suddenly would raise suspicion.

Truth seemed uninterested as he returned the nod and walked on.

Urging Hermione to start walking again, Severus spoke lowly. "Once we get on the train, we should sit in separate cabs until we are well away from this station."

Taking a deep breath, Hermione kept from looking at Severus as she nodded. "Yeah, okay..."

******0o0o0o0******

Severus sighed deeply as his eyes kept darting to the clock on the platform while he paced restlessly inside his first class compartment.

It had been more than ten minutes since he and Hermione went their separate ways and less than two minutes before their train was supposed to depart.

If there was one thing the dark wizard was truly tired of, it was waiting. Hurry up and wait, hurry up and wait. It was driving him mad.

He emitted an audible sigh when he heard the conductor shout last call and final boarding for the train to Paris. He was just about to turn away from the window and sit down when he saw a group of officers making their way to the train; Auror Truth was leading the pack.

"Blasted, fucking, bollocking, shit!" Snape slammed his hand against the metal framing the window. "Alright, keep calm, we may not be made yet." he spoke to himself but did not believe his own words as he already was thinking of a handful of escape routes once the Aurors closed in.

He searched out the clock again and noted that they were five minutes behind schedule. Snape was tempted to abort this plan, find Hermione and get away from the station as quickly as possible when there was a knock on his compartment door.

The door slid opened and standing on the other side was none other than Ceslav Truth with an incredibly fake smile on his face. "Afternoon, sir, how are you today?"

Severus made sure to speak with an American accent as he answered shortly, "Slightly perturbed that the train is being delayed. What's the bloody problem?"

"You're…you're American?" Truth's smile faded before he reigned in his noticeable disappointment and answered, "A wanted criminal is on the run. He's armed and extremely dangerous. We are just taking the necessary precautions to make sure he has not stowed himself away on any of the trains."

Making sure he looked properly surprised, Severus forced himself to stammer. "A-a-armed and dangerous c-criminal? Bloody hell! You...y-you don't think he's on this train, do you? What should I do, should I get off and catch a differ-"

"Calm down,"

Truth interrupted Snape's feigned frightened ramblings. Severus shut up and nodded. "Yes, of course officer...sorry."

"There is no need to throw yourself into a panic. All I need to see is your ticket and some sort of photo identification and I'll have you on your way."

Pausing briefly, Severus pulled out his wallet and provided the items asked of him but before he turned over the items for inspection, the dark wizard purposely dropped them and made it look like an accident. "Oh, hell...I-I'm so sorry!" he stuttered as he made sure to knock his head against Truth's when they both bent over to pick up the documents.

"Shit!"

"Sorry...so sorry," Severus made a show of flailing about as he gathered up his ID and ticket while Truth straightened and rubbed his forehead.

"It's alright."

"No it's not...I'm such a klutz," Snape said as he made sure Truth was preoccupied. Seeing that the Auror was, the dark wizard took the opportunity to change his ID to a US driver's license and made his picture match his current appearance.

Truth stiffened and looked confusedly around, "Did you feel that?"

"What?"

"Uh…nothing," Truth cleared his throat.

Snape stammered some more. "It's nerves, you know? Always been a bit...high strung." he stood and gave Truth the documents with a nervous smile. "This talk of a criminal on the loose...is he a murderer, has he killed anyone?"

"Relax, he fancies himself above everyone and everything, I doubt he'd travel this way but I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't check, would I?" Truth seemed equal parts agitated and amused as he glanced at the ID and ticket.

"Absolutely," Snape smiled nervously.

"From Pennsylvania, Mr. Smith?"

Severus nodded, "Born and raised."

"And your wife?"

"Haven't got one."

"Girlfriend, then?"

"Haven't one of those either." Severus tried to keep the suspicion out of his voice as he asked, "Why would you think I had?"

Truth shrugged, "Thought I saw you walking with a woman earlier."

"No, though I did bump into a young woman earlier. She was a mess, crying about how her boyfriend left her or something," he said casually before shrugging as well.

"Did she happen to get on this train, did she?"

Snape shrugged, "Don't know."

Truth nodded as he handed the identification card and ticket back, "I hope this doesn't discourage you from visiting England in the future. Good day."

The nervous smile the dark wizard was maintaining twitched and turned into a sneer as Truth exited the compartment, "Fucking imbecile."

Sitting down, Severus took a soothing breath; hoping Hermione would hold it together through any line of questioning she faced.

It was another five minutes before the jerk of the train coming to life pulled Severus from his thoughts. He did not wait for the train to pull away from the station before he was out of his compartment and started searching for his witch.

Ten compartments and a different car later, Severus saw his witch sitting by herself near the window as her attention seemed unwaveringly glued to the journal she'd received from Miss Weasley only an hour earlier.

Sliding the door open, he smiled as she jumped.

"Gods Severus, you scared me!" Hermione said as she steadied her breath.

"Not my intention," he moved to sit next to her and found ease and comfort in her acceptance of him as she pecked his cheek and cuddled into his side.

"Harry and Ron are alright," the witch said with excitement.

"Goody," he deadpanned.

"Ginny wrote me. She said that Aurors pulled them back up the stairs and Ron and Harry started breathing normally again. Then they continued to pull them along until they were in a small room." Hermione spoke a mile a minute. "There, Ginny said the Aurors pulled out their wands and canceled the charms. The idiots about fell over themselves when they finally recognized Ron and Harry," the pregnant witch giggled.

"What were their excuses for using glamour charms?"

"Downtime," Hermione answered, "they said they were overwhelmed with all the attention they were receiving after the war and wanted to get away for a bit."

Severus raised a disbelieving eyebrow, "And those dimwitted Aurors bought it?"

"Must have because they let Gin, Ron and Harry go." She shrugged, "too late to get on the train though. Oh well," her blue eyes sought his hazel ones as she smiled. "Mission accomplished, yeah?"

"Nearly, all we need is to successfully catch an international portkey in Paris and get through customs," the dark wizard nodded before placing his left arm over Hermione's shoulders and pulled her closer. "I know I probably don't have to say this but please be extraordinarily careful with what you write in that journal, you don't know who will be reading it at any given time."

Hermione was looking at the wizard's hand that was draped over her shoulders when she spoke. "I hardly believe Gin would let just anyone read it but I understand your concerns. I won't write too freely, alright?"

"That's all I ask." Snape watched as his witch turned her curious eyes up at him. "What?"

"Do you know that this used to really annoy me?" she gestured to his arm around her.

He attempted to remove his arm but Hermione stopped him.

"It always used to aggravate me that people would use me as a arm rest just because of my height. Ron was the worst; I always fought the urge to hex him whenever he weighed me down with his bulky arm."

"So why won't you let me remove mine?"

She looked up at him and smiled, "Because with you, I don't feel weighed down...I feel safe and secure."

That smile was going to be the death of him.

He watched as she rested her head on his arm and gazed out the window. "Were you questioned by an Auror?"

"Dressed like a muggle officer? Yes, he was actually quite convincing but I caught a glimpse of his wand tucked under his sleeve," the witch answered nonchalantly as she kept her eyes on the scenery. "What did you do when the Auror that questioned you asked for your ID?"

"Truth questioned me. I distracted him enough so he wouldn't notice that I used magic to change my ID. What did you do?"

Hermione chuckled, "I think I had a rookie, he was a bit…out of his depth. I was still worked up over Harry and Ron; I just used my emotions to my advantage. I blubbered about my grandmother dying and I was on my way to her funeral. Poor sod looked at me like I had a second head growing from my neck; didn't even remember that he didn't see my ID."

Severus looked down at his witch with a new level of awe and respect as he asked seriously, "Are you sure you were placed in the right house?"

She laughed outright at that. "Sometimes I wonder but I'm fiercely loyal and proud of my house all the same." Stifling a yawn, "All this anxiety makes me tired."

"So sleep, this will be about a two hour trip."

"You know, I think I'll take you up on that offer," Hermione said through another yawn.

Severus watched as she opened her bag and ruffled around in there until she pulled out that ruddy patchwork blanket he had given her. He allowed her to use his body for a pillow and chuckled when she practically took over his lap.

"You're so comfortable."

"I'll take your word for it." His arms wrapped around her.

Hermione was already being swept away to dream world when she mumbled, "Don't let me sleep more than an hour."

Snape smiled before he painted a kiss on her cheek and whispering, "Anything you say, love."

******0o0o0o0******

It was massively disorienting to feel the world spinning and swirling in and out of focus.

Snape hated portkeying. It always felt as if he was just coming off of an all night drinking binge. The ground slipped from underneath his feet and he felt disoriented and that was another effect of portkeying that the dark wizard found unsavory; he didn't feel at all in control.

When it was time to let go of the dingy surfboard that served as their portkey, Severus couldn't be more relieved.

As his feet touched solid ground in the Australian Ministry of Magic building, Snape breathed a sigh of liberation then turned to search for Hermione. He watched her as she touched down looking slightly frazzled but very excited.

"Welcome to zee Australian Ministry of Magic, located in downtown Sydney." the ridiculously cheery French international portkey steward-witch spoke to the group. "Zee local time iz twelve-twenty-seven, Monday morning, May the 11th. If you all would be so kind az to make your way to customs down zee 'all and to zee left, our Aurors will work to 'ave you on your way to your 'omes, 'otels or wherever your final destination may be. Thank you for traveling with uz and 'ave a wonderful morning."

While the steward-witch was rambling on, Severus made his way to his pregnant witch and was welcomed by a tight hug and a peck on his chin. It was so strange to be welcomed by anyone but he knew he didn't want the odd warm feeling to ever lose its novelty.

"We did it, we did it! Severus, we're actually here!"

Hugging her back, Snape spoke lowly, "Yes but let us not get ahead of ourselves, we still have to get through customs."

She laughed and sighed at the same time as her eyes locked with his, "We have _got _to do something about your perpetual pessimism, babe."

The dark wizard was stunned at Hermione's nonchalant term of endearment and he was rather sure his face showed it but his witch was too busy looking at their unfamiliar surroundings to notice.

He had never cared much for nicknames or silly terms of endearments but he supposed the reason for that was because -with the exception of Lily- no one ever gave him a nickname; a pleasant one at least. He always thought he would cut down anyone who called him such things as silly as 'babe' but coming from Hermione and only Hermione, Severus believed it could be tolerable.

Shaking himself from his stunned pause, Severus caught up with Hermione and put his arm around her. "Now remember that our last name is Stivers and we've been married six months," he reminded. "You mucked it up at the ticket stand in France."

With her arm around his waist, the witch pinched his side, "I did not!"

"Hermione, you said our last name was Ciphers and we've been married for one-nine-seven months."

"Well it's not my fault you decided to whisper all of our made up history into my ear _two _seconds before we reached the ticket counter."

Severus chuckled as they walked amongst the rest of the portkeyers to the customs counter. "And we're here for our belated honeymoon, not-"

"I've got it, Severus!" she hissed; clearly miffed.

Deciding it would be best if he did not wind up his witch too much, Severus busied himself with observing the layout of the Ministry building while thinking up answers to a variety of questions they might be asked by the Aurors.

It turned out that preparation for further interrogation was unneeded for the group of Aurors they dealt with only asked the bare minimum. Severus was glad they got in so late because the idiot Aurors were obviously tired and as anxious to get out of there as much as he was.

Now, as he stepped out of the Ministry building into the breezy clear Australian night, the dark wizard finally let himself think of the day as an extraordinary success.

He was alive, more-or-less unharmed and standing in public without anyone wanting to hex him to oblivion.

He wasn't free, he knew he would always have to be cautious but this was so much more than he could have ever imagined he'd be able to have.

What made in infinitely better was the fact that he didn't have to go through this second chance at life alone. Gripping his right hand tightly was a fiery saint of a witch that he would have never in a million years thought he would end up with but would fight with every ounce of his being to keep happy and by his side.

"Holy crickets, Severus," Hermione giggled as her eyes scaled the skyscrapers. "I never doubted...but to finally be here..."

Watching her excitement and awe shine readily on her features as she looked around at the unfamiliar city, the magnitude of the situation he found himself in as well as the depth of his emotions struck him hard.

He had a family and he belonged with them. They were safe and he, well, he was happier than he'd ever been in his entire life and he was in love.

Yes, absurdly Hufflepuff but he really couldn't give a niffler's arse. He wasn't going to squander this second chance or take for granted what the gods set before him.

Hermione began to pull him down the street. "Come on, Severus!"

"Where are we going?"

"Anywhere," she laughed, "Everywhere! We can do that now and it's so beautiful here…"

The dark wizard let his witch pull him along and watched with amusement as she tried to take in every bit of the sights and sounds around them.

As they crossed a rather busy street, the light from the moon seemed to fight through all the city lights to shine down squarely on Hermione.

The sight was transcending for the wizard and forced him to reevaluate his earlier thought.

He wasn't going to squander this second chance or take for granted what _a_ _goddess_ set before him.

Now, he wasn't a religious man by any means but he had devout faith in Hermione Granger; his goddess. She was the reason why he was alive and the reason he wanted to live.

******0o0o0o0******

**THE END…FOR NOW.**

**I know what you're thinking. How could I possibly end it there? There are so many unanswered questions…**

**Rest assured that a sequel is on the way.**

**Thank you heaps for reading!**

**XOXOXO**


	21. Author's Note

**Author's note:**

**Hello to everyone who read 'Fulfilling Duties' and were enquiring as to when the sequel would be up, you will be happy to know that it is. **

**The title is 'Finding Rhythm'. I hope you check it out.**

**Thank you,**

**Muzkbox**


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